Little Bird
by Jade Feline
Summary: Sephiroth is alive and has taken Cloud captive in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. The others desperately search for their friend and all must come to realize that not everyone is who they seem to be. Sephiroth/Cloud. Other side pairings.
1. Introduction

Little Bird

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here.

This story is set almost directly after the original game ends, though I might have accidentally tweaked some things here and there. Right. Well. Enjoy then.

Introduction

Footsteps creaked down the decrepit spiral steps leading to the basement of Shinra manor. The man to whom they belonged tossed back his long hair and paused at the bottom before continuing on down the stone floor. The few bats that drew near were deftly cut to pieces with the flash of a long, elegant looking sword. The man was in no hurry and it seemed to amuse him greatly to walk at a slow, leisurely pace. He paused, looking briefly at the rotting wooden door to his left where the Chaos holder had once resided.

He stepped into the cramped room, caressing the wood of the coffin lightly while his eyes gazed off into the darkness. A gentle thumping echoed from the lab down the hall but he pretended not to notice, absentmindedly touching the package at his side. "Soon my Sweet, soon." He murmured, still making no move towards the room. Only when an enraged cry started up did he turn and glide silently to the door at the end of the hall, unlocking it and letting it swing open.

A blonde spiky haired man raised his head, eyes covered with a strip of faded cloth. He lay in chains with the binding attaching him to a table once covered in test tubes. The blonde looked around as able to see through the blindfold and darkness surrounding him. He called out nervously. "Hello? Is someone there?" The long haired man bent down to his captive's height and untied the cloth, revealing blue eyes, slightly dulled by the covering.

"There will only ever be me, sweet Cloud." The blue eyes darkened with despair and Cloud turned his face away, all hope drained from voice. "Fuck you Sephiroth."

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Cloud waited in darkness, alone and silent. His captor had left to retrieve food, though how he managed it baffled Cloud. The world was still on edge even though Sephiroth was supposedly dead. He had to hand it to the bastard though, he was cautious. Unless someone actually found the hidden door and bothered to walk down all of those stairs to the very bottom would they hear any noise from Cloud.

Sephiroth had even taken the trouble to blindfold him and lock the door. Hardly necessary considering that the room was so dark he wouldn't be able to see a hand in front of his face, let alone possible exits. Even if he_ could_ see, the weight of the chains was so deadening that he could barely move. Yes, overkill was Sephiroth's middle name.

Footsteps sounded on the stone flags causing a feeble shred of hope to flutter around in his chest. He tried to move, desperately crashing his head into the table and crying out for help (something his pride would never have let him do several months prior). His throat ached from water deprivation, causing a rasp to wind painfully into his voice.

The door was unlocked quietly, causing Clouds stomach to plummet like the proverbial stone. Only Sephiroth had that key. Still, he called out uncertainly, praying that perhaps his tormenter was dead and whoever had killed him had lifted the key and checked it in all the rooms of the mansion. The blindfold was removed and in front of him hovered those green cat-like eyes, illuminated slightly with the faint glow of mako. Sephiroth's voice came out in a deep purr. "There will only ever be me sweet Cloud." The blond man fought to keep the despair from his voice as he averted his eyes. "Fuck you Sephiroth..."

His cheek was stinging before he realized that Sephiroth had struck him. The slap was quickly covered by his captor's lips. "Such language doesn't become you my sweet. It is foul and I won't allow it here." Cloud jerked away, shuddering with a wash of emotions ranging from disgust to desire. "Stop it! Stop touching me like that!"

The green eyed man ignored him and opened the bag he was carrying, taking out a pear and slicing it into bite sized portions. Cloud reluctantly ate the pieces from Sephiroth's hand, feeling the sweet juice slide down his aching throat. A few months ago, he would never have submitted like this but now he knew that if he didn't, the food would be pre-chewed and forced down his throat with Sephiroth's tongue. The man was staring at him intently with those unholy eyes of his, an eerie smile fixed on his face.

"Cloud, do you hate me?" Cloud looked up at the man who had taken everything from him and him from everything. He remembered Aerith, the sweet flower girl, and how she had been impaled on Sephiroth's blade, her mouth moving wordlessly. He remembered Midgar, and Meteor. He remembered his friends, and how they had fought valiantly alongside him through it all. He remembered how when all was said and done, he had pushed them away because Sephiroth's shadow still hung over his memories. He remembered Nibelheim in flames, his mother burning with it. Finally, he remembered Tifa's frightened face the last time she visited, finding Cloud pinned to the wall with Sephiroth's hand at his neck. She had tried to help him, whipping out her phone even as she charged the man with the mako eyes. She had hit the wall then, cracking her head against it brutally, the phone slipping from her gloved hand.

Cloud still didn't know if she was dead, for soon after he had called out to her a flattened hand connected with his temple and then there was darkness. He had woken up here in chains... but that part didn't matter. Sephiroth was still watching him silently for an answer. "Yeah , I hate you." Another 

slap. His captor looked irritated. "I hate lies Cloud." "It's not a lie!" The blond man burst out angrily. "How could I not hate you?! You keep taking away the things that I love!"

Sephiroth looked bored and flicked back a strand of hair that had fallen into his face, cutting up another pear. "You don't hate me Cloud. Not yet, but don't worry," he smiled sweetly. "We have all the time in the world to change that."


	2. Chapter 1

Little Bird: Chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here.

Sephiroth slept draped around Cloud, cradling him as one would a toy or a pet, enjoying the fact that as much as his captive wished to, he was unable to damage him. He enjoyed feeling his former subordinate squirm as he held him gently, whispering softly in his ear. He rarely left Cloud on his own, feeling that the poor boy would become lonely. Or try to escape. Both of these things were unacceptable.

Sephiroth knew that his captive was only feigning sleep by the faint trembling of his shoulders. It excited him to see the revulsion and fear displayed so openly on the once somber Cloud's features. Staring down at the young man made the tiny portion of humanity left in him twist painfully when he saw how Cloud's face was slowly hollowing with malnutrition. Anger at his own weakness brought him to dig his nails into Cloud's arm fiercely, causing those blue eyes to snap open in shock.

A shiver of giddiness ran up Sephiroth's spine, and for a brief moment his breath caught in his throat at the sight of the blonde wide pained eyes. After a moment, the anxiety was gone and he allowed the thrill of excitement to wash over him once more, assuming an expression of mock sternness. "I must leave again my precious one. Be a good little birdie and stay here in your cage. If I'm in a charitable mood when I return I may even let you fly around for a while." Cloud looked ready to retort but before he could say anything Sephiroth was already at the door and heading back up the steps.

'I must be more careful.' The General though mildly. 'If I'm not, poor Cloud may fade away until he is nothing at all, and I can't have that. I would be so lonely… All alone, with only my memories. Fake. They are all fake. Only echoes of false memories bouncing of the walls of empty rooms. It's enough to drive one crazy.'

He reached the top of the old stairs, cursing himself for forgetting to blindfold Cloud in his hurry to fetch the other man some more nourishing food. Sephiroth stuck his thumbnail savagely into his other fingers in a small gesture of self punishment and a reminder to not be as foolhardy as he had this evening.

Upon hiding the entrance to the basement, Sephiroth mused on how strange it was that Cloud's rag-tag group of heroes hadn't thought to check the Shinra Manor thoroughly for their friend. They had certainly been through the town countless times in search of him, and had even resorted to breaking into houses that looked suspect. Aside from the upper floors however, the old Shinra building had remained untouched. It helped that Sephiroth continued to plant false trails throughout the world, but it could simply be their limited knowledge of him. If this were the case, the last place they would expect him to reside would be in the basement where his insanity supposedly crystallized. 'But I'm not insane.' He thought, throwing a black cloak over himself to hide his identity from public view. 'Madmen have no rationality.'

He stepped out of the mansion and breathed in the fresh night air, allowing himself a single moment to enjoy the sight of the quiet town. 'This too is false.' He reminded himself. 'Years ago I destroyed this, and one day, I shall do it again. For now though, I must live with the knowledge that I failed to rip the life from this world. I failed Mother.' But Jenova was not, in fact, his mother and though he now knew this and the fact stung him bitterly, he could not bring himself to call her anything else.

Sephiroth used the hood to shroud his face and walked into the small crowds. They took no notice of him, and why should they? He had certainly paid this town enough not to pry into his affairs. Of course, if they knew who he was, no amount of gossip could keep them quiet, so as far as they knew, he was simply a wealthy, slightly eccentric hermit. His lip curled slightly. 'Ignorant fools.'

He purchased a bit of roasted meat, glad that he had never had a use for Shinra company's money until now. The man at the stall accepted his money nervously, not daring to look farther than Sephiroth's hands until the strange man had moved far enough away that he felt safe. On the outskirts of town, Sephiroth took a final look back at the illusion of life that the villagers held before heading back to the mansion.

"I'm back my sweet, have you been good?" Blue eyes stared at him reproachfully through the darkness. "What the hell could I have done!?" Cloud snapped "I can't move!" Sephiroth crossed to him and pulled out a set of keys from around his neck, unfastening the locks one by one, until the chains fell loose. The young blonde man's eyes grew frantic and the general watched him lunge forward, only to flop over limply when he found that his limbs were numb with disuse. "That was foolish Cloud. You aren't an idiot so stop behaving like one."

He propped up his former subordinate and removed his shoes, massaging the boy's feet. Sephiroth pretended not to hear the sharp intake of breath as pins and needles began to shoot through Cloud. He continued his treatment up to the blonde's thighs, down his arms, and then, after flipping Cloud on to his stomach, he worked the kinks out of the young man's back. He regretted slightly that he hadn't moved Cloud except when he allowed the boy to relieve himself.

"Why did you do that?" asked the small voice from the floor. "Are you letting me go?" Something icy and cruel squirmed in Sephiroth's body, causing him to grab Cloud's hair and wrench up the dear boy's head. "Oh but you can't leave yet my darling," He half growled half purred as he bit down on the soft neck. "I would miss you too much, and besides, your hatred isn't nearly strong enough yet. Perhaps you would be more obedient if I removed the illusion of rescue. I wonder what that woman's head would look like if it were pickled, hm? Of course, we would need to chop off all of that hair first."

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Cloud saw red and immediately forgot about the pain in his limbs, lunging at Sephiroth like a rabid dog. His superior's eyes seemed to glitter with delight as he knocked Cloud back. "Is that the best you can do Cloud? You're rustier than I thought!" The blonde staggered to his feet and came after the man once more, aiming his first punch right at Sephiroth's face. When that was blocked, he tried to 

hook his left fist into the general's ribs before it was grabbed and he was flung into the table. His back was forced down onto the steel table top with his superior shoved between his legs.

"Idiot boy. Look at the position you've put yourself in. You aren't strong enough. Not Yet." The man lowered his face to Cloud's neck and made a long, deliberate line with his tongue. Cloud squirmed, pounding his fists against Sephiroth's back to no avail. Instead, his fists were caught and held together in the silver haired man's iron grip. "It is admirable that you continue to fight me Cloud, stupid, but admirable."

Clouds arms were forced above his head with one of Sephiroth's hands while the other slipped up his shirt, stroking the malnourished torso. The blonde felt the blood rush to his groin and bit his lip, panting as the older man looked down at him. "Get off me. Now." He hissed through clenched teeth at the man he had once so worshipped.

Sephiroth's smile gleamed in the semi darkness and he withdrew his hands slowly. "As you wish." Cloud's body relaxed a little as his superior withdrew and picked up another package, presumably from where he had just come from. He let himself slide off the table and onto the ground, the fight having gone out of him. He didn't stay on the floor long, as he was soon yanked to his feet and made to sit in a lab chair.

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The general unwrapped the meat and placed it in front of the exhausted Cloud. He was impressed that the boy had managed as much of an attack as he had and was more than a little surprised that his subordinate was able to move at all. The blonde looked at the meat suspiciously and prodded it with his index finger. "Eat. Why would I have poisoned the food after I just unchained you?" Cloud bit his lip and looked up. "'Cause you're a sadistic bastard who thinks it would be fun to give me hope before crushing it again?"

Sephiroth looked pensive. "Well, yes, there is that I suppose, but poison? I thought you knew me better than that Cloud. I enjoy blood. I like seeing how much I can get out of a person before they die." He smiled a little dreamily before adding; "But I don't want you dead. Now eat your dinner, it will help you regain your strength in time." Cloud ate, and Sephiroth watched as his face lit up with all of flavors that burst on his tongue. 'I truly do treasure him' the clarity of this thought hit him hard, causing him to bite his cheek until it bled. 'Somehow… somehow he has become precious to me. But this changes nothing, especially regarding us.'

"Sephiroth?"

Cloud's voice jolted him out of his thoughts. "Could I ask you a few questions?" The boy looked more timid than he had ever seen him. The silver haired man gave a nod of consent. "I want to know, what happens to me now? You say you won't kill me, but you also won't let me go." Sephiroth's left eyebrow twitched just slightly before the corners of his mouth turned up in a wicked grin. "I never said I wouldn't kill you Cloud. I simply said I didn't want you dead. From today onwards, you will slowly grow stronger and I will teach you to fight properly. My reasons are purely selfish I assure you dear one, but you will become a worthy fighter again."

A tendril of glee squirmed in Sephiroth's stomach when he saw the blonde's tense once more with rebellion and hate. The general steepled his fingers under his chin and cocked his head ever so slightly to the side. "Any more questions?" He asked the rigid young man. "Just one." Cloud snarled. "Why the fuck are you still alive?"

Sephiroth closed his eyes for a moment, remembering their last battle, remembering the hesitation and regret on Cloud's face before he drove his sword into the silver haired man's torso. A tiny bitter smile tugged at the right side of his thin lips and he opened his eyes halfway. "That is obvious. I'm alive because you didn't kill me." And with that, he stood and went to the half library at the other side of the room. He did not speak to Cloud for the rest of the night.

--

Well, that was chapter one folks! I hope that you are enjoying the story so far, as I am having a fun time writing it. I will try to update as often as possible, but I am currently juggling school and a job so we'll see how that works out. To my reviewers!

amberblood- Huzzah for first reviews! After reading yours I started craving pears, but alas, there were none to be found! The story thinks you're delicious too 3!

kelle611- Thank you! I hope that the story end up meeting your standards!

Black Materia- Unfortunatly, since Tifa is one of Cloud's friends, she will probably be knocked back in. As for updates, I'll see what I can do as far as speed goes and hope for the best!

Thank you to all those who read, enjoyed and hopefully reviewed the introduction. I slurp up the affaction like Zombies slurp up brains!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here.

Chapter 2

Tifa looked moodily over the deck of the Highwind and drummed her finger on the desk. The most recent search had come back negative. Again. No one in Rocket town had seen the blonde spiky haired man, nor had they seen his captor. The village people always glared at her for mentioning the terror that was Sephiroth. As far as they were concerned, she was an airhead who just wanted to bring up bad memories. "Besides," They would always reason, "Sephiroth is dead, he was killed several months ago." Then they would either say that she shouldn't cause trouble by dredging up the past with silly stories, or direct her to the nearest hospital.

Tentative footsteps came her way and a young female voice broke the silence. "Tifa? The guys say that you should get some sleep. I think they're afraid that you'll pass out and fall off."

Yuffie stood beside the long haired brunette, slightly green with motion sickness. Tifa gave the Wutai ninja a weary smile and shook her head. "I should be fine. I'm just a little frustrated, that's all. It's just… every time we think we have a lead it turns out to be bogus! He's screwing with us, I know it! I just… I just wish we had something solid, something we could work with."

Yuffie looked at her in sympathy, or perhaps it was just the stomach ache, but either way, it made Tifa feel a little bit better. "It's not your fault you know." The queasy ninja said quietly. "None of us could have stopped Sephiroth on our own."

"I know!" Tifa yelled. "You don't have to tell me that because I already know! I just feel so useless! I feel like I should have been able to do… I don't know, something! I'm so sick of feeling helpless!"

"What the fuck is goin' on up here!?" Barret shoved open the door only to have Yuffie slam it back into his face.

"Go away Barrett, girl talk!" There was a silence in which the metal armed man was considering shooting the girl in the face, but instead he let out a long sigh and went back down to the bridge, scaring half a dozen flight attendants along the way.

Yuffie looked up at Tifa and wasn't surprised to see tears slowly making their way down the woman's face. The ninja sighed and helped Tifa sit down, almost immediately running to the edge and emptying her stomach there. When she came back, wiping her mouth, Tifa had stopped crying, and now just looked burnt out. "I'm sorry for taking this out on you guys so much recently. I think I'll take that nap after all." She stood and ruffled Yuffie's hair, yawning. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up hun, I'm really lucky to have you guys."

She brushed her hair over her shoulder and proceeded down into the bridge, then, smiling at her fellow Crew members walked into her designated room. Just before she closed her eyes on the bed, said a little prayer. "Aerith, please let us find Cloud in time. Please keep him safe." She fell asleep with the feeling of a warm, non tangible hand stroking her forehead.

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Cloud cried out in pain as Sephiroth threw him into the wall with a kick to the ribs. The kick was followed by a swift fist in the nose, causing blood to spurt from Cloud's face. "Idiot. You aren't even trying. " The silver haired man pulled away disgustedly and walked to the table, sitting as his subordinate slumped over, clutching his nose. It had been five days since the night that he'd released Cloud's shackles and lit the lamps, and though the boy was improving, his progress was moving at a snail's place. Things would, of course, pick up once Cloud had fully regained his strength. Until then however, he would have to be patient.

Sephiroth grabbed the young man's hand as it reached for his neck and flipped him hard onto the table. "Pitiful. I'm done playing with you today." Cloud lay gasping in front of him. Sephiroth bit his cheek and pulled the blonde off the table and onto his lap, cradling him like a child. "You are foolish Cloud… I am trying to help you." And so he was. He hadn't locked Cloud in since that night and he had made sure that the boy got three meals a day into him.

Cloud was trying to mould his nose back into shape through all of the blood, but still managed to spit out: "Sure you are. It just requires you to beat me on a daily basis, right?" He gave Sephiroth a bitter smile, his teeth growing stained as the blood dripped in on to them. "What a joke. You say you want to make me stronger, maybe you do, but you're sure as hell not doing it for me."

The silver haired man smiled and looked down with half lidded eyes. "Why yes, I thought we had established that." He reached out a healing materia from inside his pocket and used it on Cloud before kissing his forehead. The blonde squirmed and rubbed his forehead roughly, like a five year old might do when his mother kissed him in front of his friends. However, the kisses that Sephiroth gave were nothing like that of a Mother's, and left a tingling sensation wherever his lips touched. "But whether or not I am doing it for myself, you must comply. You are still my puppet, and always will be. Anything I want, I can force you to do, so I suggest you stop trying my patience."

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Cloud looked into the face of his captor and saw the man's eyes glint the same way that they had when he gazed at Cloud over Aerith's fresh corpse. A wave of nausea hit him and he rolled off Sephiroth's lap with his hand over his mouth, trying not to vomit. Instantly the silver haired man was at his side, hauling him up and trying to carry him to the bathroom on the main floor. Cloud struggled feebly and felt bile rise in his throat. Sephiroth noticed this just in time to change the angle of Cloud's face before the fluids of the young man's stomach were emptied onto the stairs.

The blonde choked back some air before feeling the retching sensation once more. This time, he managed to hold it in until Sephiroth had gotten him into the recently repaired bathroom. Cloud wasted no time in throwing himself over to the toilet and vomiting until his stomach felt like it was caving in on its self. A large gloved hand started to rub little circles into the middle of his back causing Cloud to flinch convulsively and shrink into the corner of the bathroom. He refused to look at Sephiroth's face, refused to see the concern that he knew would be stamped all over those hateful eyes. The general came closer to him with an outstretched hand that began to snake around Cloud's wrist, slowly pulling him to his feet, but Cloud yanked it back. "NO!" The moment those fingers had brushed him, he had seen Aerith die again, tasted her blood as it splattered against his face, heard her strangled gasp and watched the life go out of her eyes. She was dead. This man had caused it, and nothing could change that.

"Cloud?" Sephiroth's indifferent voice came with a worried undertone that made the blonde sick.

"Don't fucking touch me you murderer. I can stand by myself." He sensed his captor stiffen, and when he looked up, he saw that the face had returned to the cruelty to which it was accustomed.

"Then get up. I will see you in the basement when you finish cleaning the stairs. If you don't, I will clean them with your broken body." His superior's voice was soft, but there was something deadly laced in with it that threatened to rip off all of his appendages if he refused to comply. Perhaps Cloud didn't know how to hate properly, but he always had been a fast learner.

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Hate. It had always been one of the most delicious emotions Sephiroth had ever felt, and seeing it directed towards him, from no less than Cloud, was purely erotic. He flicked his tongue over his lips to wet them and leaned against the wall, arching slightly as he pictured what he'd like to do to the blonde, and in what positions. His eyes closed and he bit his index finger in anticipation until he felt the glove tear before letting out a shaky breath and regaining his composure. 'Not now.' He told himself regretfully. 'Not tonight. There is too much that must be taken care of.' And with that thought, he pulled himself away from the wall and walked back to the room.

When Cloud came down a little while later (he was becoming such an obedient boy)Sephiroth could tell that his rage had cooled. "Would you care to tell me why you had that outburst in the bathroom?" The blonde looked up noncommittally and the general noticed with a twinge of annoyance that Cloud was displaying some of the cockiness he had while working in Shinra.

"No." The boy was smirking, actually smirking! Sephiroth vowed to rectify this new found arrogance and willed his own face into a tight half smile.

"Is there any particular reason for that?" Cloud's smirk deepened.

"I guess so. I'm exercising my freedom to not speak."

Sephiroth's eyebrows shot up. "Is that so? Then I think I'll exercise my right to force you."

It had always been fairly easy to slip his consciousness into Cloud's mind, and the side effects were mostly one sided. Cloud almost immediately doubled over, expelling saliva as though he'd been punched in the stomach. Sephiroth stroked his consciousness over the blonde's now bruised mind, eventually finding what he was looking for. Cloud was clutching his head in anguish, on his knees now and howling in pain. "STOP! G..GET OUT OF MY HEAD!! IT HURTS!! PLEASE!!" Sephiroth had to stop himself from trembling with the excitement that the screams brought and instead repeated his question. He then found the answer in Cloud's mind, and pushed it through the boy's lips. "You… you killed her… Aerith… she was… m..my friend. You hold me… with the same hands…. that murdered her…. You look at me… the s..same way… you did then. It hurts…"

Sephiroth looked down at him calmly. "Why does it hurt?" he asked softly. Cloud's breathing became more ragged as he stumbled on, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Be..Because… I…" Clouds eyes rolled back and he fell forward, the strain finally too much for him to handle. Sephiroth glanced at the answer and then withdrew his presence bitterly. He had loved her, pure and simple. He had loved her and the man he had worshipped, the man now cradling and holding him had killed her. It hurt so much because he still idolized Sephiroth, even though he had shoved it to the back of his mind. The general saw all, saw that even now, after the hell he had put Cloud and his friends through, the boy didn't want to believe that his hero could do that. The feelings of hurt and confusion stuck to the silver haired man's consciousness for a long time after he withdrew it.

He silently picked up the unconscious young man and held him close before shrugging off his trench coat and tucking it around the blonde. He lay Cloud down again and kissed his forehead, watching that sweet face for a moment. Sephiroth grabbed at his own chest for a second, in pain as well, and in a moment of complete clarity whispered; "It hurts for me too".

The general shook himself and straightened, his mind slipping below the surface of morality once more. He had places to be after all, and he couldn't spend all of his time tormenting his captive, sweet though the boy was. He leaned over and purred in the boy's ear: "One day Cloud, I will make you beg for me." After that, he left the room, locked it, and headed to the base of the stairs to meet with his informant.

--

Chapter two, done! After this, the chapters will start getting longer, but as a side effect, it will also take me longer to complete them. Oh well. Just so that everyone knows, I will be bringing the rest of the main cast into the story more, but the main focus will continue to be on Sephiroth and Cloud. Just so you know. Okay, to my Reviewers!

Kelle611: You came back! I'm so glad you like the way that Sephiroth is being portrayed! I hope that you continue to enjoy the way that the story unfolds.

Chibi Nataku: Thankyou for your review! I hope that I was able to make this chapter a little more pleasing, gramatically pleasing. In the future, I will set up all of my chapters like this.

spopococ: Aw, you quoted me! I love you! I'll do my best to update as often as I can!

Alanna-P2BW-:I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story, thanks for reviewing!

I-heart-kakashi: Thankyou! I will do my best to update as soon as possible.

Well, that's it for today! I hope every one is enjoying Little Bird. Please continue to read and review, as internet cookies and hugs will be availiable for those who want them!


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here.

Little Bird Chapter 3

By the time Sephiroth got there, his informant had been waiting for ten minutes. "You're late." The man said quietly, sitting on the second bottom step.

"You're early." Sephiroth retaliated. "Besides which, I had something to take care of." The man on the steps stood, looking regretful and nervous.

"You can't stay here much longer Sephiroth. We just got back from Rocket Town and we're coming back here once Tifa wakes up."

The silver haired man's eyebrows rose slightly and a tiny smile played about his mouth. "Then you'll just have to keep them out of the basement again, won't you?"

"I can't continue doing that!" snapped the other man, "I'm running out of excuses!"

"Come now Vincent," Sephiroth murmured. "You're a dark, angst ridden man, I'm sure you can come up with something." Vincent closed his eyes and massaged his temples. When he opened them again Sephiroth could see the fatigue and anxiety displayed there.

"Is Cloud alright? It's been so long since I heard from you, and you're shirtless, which doesn't bode well." Sephiroth laughed and put his arms in the air, stretching.

"He's fine. Unconscious at the moment, but fine nonetheless. Don't look at me like that. I haven't touched him like that yet, but I want to Vincent. It's hard to resist."

The red eyed man gave him a dark look. "Keep resisting. I swear to God Sephiroth, if you hurt him I'll lead the others right here and trust me, we WILL get Cloud back."

Vincent was slammed into the wall by his neck and held there while the general's eyes glittered with malice. "Don't threaten me Vincent. It isn't wise, and if I kill you here, it will only cause problems for both of us. Still, you should remember that you're expendable and that regardless of what you say, Cloud is mine and I'll do what I like with him. Are we clear?" When Vincent didn't respond, Sephiroth let him drop.

"Still," he continued, dropping down to eye level with his air deprived informant, "Today was the worst of all. The way he looked at me Vincent, I wanted to throw him down and take him right there." A shiver of delight ran up his spine and he touched the tip of his nose to Vincent's. "Do you have any idea the kind of restraint that takes?" He placed a kiss on the red eyed man's cheekbone, and when that garnered no response, he began stroking the other man's thigh. He would have continued, but a loaded pistol had been placed under his chin.

"Off. I don't care how much restraint it takes, I am not an outlet for your pent up frustration. I've told you our plans, what you do next is up to you."

As soon as Sephiroth had moved, Vincent was up and dusting himself off. The silver haired man watched him for a moment before asking. "Why are you helping me?" The red eyed man looked away and straightened his collar before heading up the stairs. Sephiroth glided after him, thoroughly amused. "Oh my, do you have a crush on me? No? Is it because we were both once dead and you feel a kinship? Could that be it? Or…" He stabbed the Masamune into the wall in front of Vincent, "Do you feel responsible for me because once upon a time, if you had managed to keep Lucrecia, you might have been my father?"

The exTurk turned slowly, and when he spoke, though it was soft his voice rang with spite. "Tell me Sephiroth, are you enamored with hate because you fear love?" The general removed his sword from the wall only to plunge it in again, this time so that the flat of the blade pressed next to the red eyed man's neck.

"That was uncalled for." Smiled Sephiroth, "Mine was a real question."

"Then allow me to answer it. I have never thought of myself as your father, nor do I wish that you were my son. I am helping you because I believe in your reasons for doing this, and because I trusted you when you explained it to me, but if you continue to antagonize me, I will take Cloud and go. I feel that you should know that your question was also uncalled for." With that, Vincent ducked under the blade and was gone up the steps.

SpaceisfeelingverygroggyandwishesthatelectioncandidateswouldstopcomingtoherdoorwhensheisillbutohwellSephirothisalittlemanslutbutwelovehim

Cloud woke up with his head pounding and his throat dry. It had been a long time since he had been taken over like that and the shock of it still made him queasy. He opened his eyes and instantly regretted it, groaning in pain and clamping his hands over his face. Oh yes, this was the brain hangover he had always been able to look forward to whenever his mind was taken over.

The arm he knew to be Sephiroth's coiled around him and helped him into a sitting position against the table while pushing a glass of water to his lips. He drank greedily, ignoring the fact that this was the same man who had put him into this state. Eventually, the empty glass was taken from his mouth and the presence of the other man's body left briefly to extinguish the lamps.

He knew that he had been an idiot, mouthing off to his captor like that, but after remembering the man's actions in such vivid detail he had the crazy idea that Sephiroth didn't deserve common courtesy. 'Idiot, Idiot, Idiot!' He chanted in his mind, banging his head against the table until a gloved hand stopped him. "I've dimmed the lights. Open your eyes." And so Cloud did, glad to see that the only lights in the room were the two glowing patches of mako on Sephiroth's face.

The General lifted something off of Cloud and the boy was startled to see that it was his infamous trench coat. "Um?" Sephiroth looked down at him before sliding it back on and moving between various items on the floor.

"I thought it might make you more comfortable. You overtaxed yourself a little bit yesterday so I assumed that a blanket of some sort would help in the recovery process."

Cloud looked at him in disbelief before noticing what the silver haired was doing. "Are you… packing?"

Sephiroth froze for a moment before looking back at him with those luminescent eyes. "Yes. But only the essentials. I have decided that you and I are going to visit a friend of yours and that we won't ever come back to this place. Ever." Cloud had never seen the silver haired man more agitated and there seemed to be a manic gleam in his eye. The blonde stood and caught his superior by the sleeve.

"Why are we leaving? Why can't you just keep me locked up here? You're messing with my head again, aren't you?"

The general looked at him with a tight, anxious face. "I'll answer your questions when I feel that the time is right, but right now, that drug laced water is quite probably making you feel tired sweet one, so you should sit, or at least have the decency to pass out while I work."

Cloud felt the colour drain from his face as the weight of what Sephiroth said sunk in. He began to feel light headed, and just before he fell, he couldn't help thinking: 'That sneaky Fucker'.

Spacehasjustrealizedthatsomeonehasrecognizedherandisabsolutelyecstaticaboutitspacemustnowdothejoyousdanceofrecognitionyaywigglespacewiggle

Sephiroth snatched Cloud up in one deft movement before he fell, lowering him gently to the floor before sheathing the Masamune and grabbing the Buster sword from behind the bookcase. He was just strapping it to his back along with his pack of essentials when Vincent burst in, slamming the door behind him. "Vincent, what are-"

The ruby eyed man covered Sephiroth's mouth with both of this hands, speaking very softly and very swiftly. "You need to leave now. They're on their way down the stairs. Stab me in the shoulder and go. It needs to look like we struggled… I probably won't be able to warn you of their movements anymore… Wait… I can probably still meet you, but I must know where you are going."

Alarmed voices were drawing closer and closer to the room, causing both men to look towards the door, then back at each other. Vincent dropped his hands from Sephiroth's mouth, pulled out his gun and fired two rounds into the wall while the general leaned towards his ear and whispered three words before drawing his sword and driving it from the Chaos holder's right shoulder to the middle of his arm. When he reached the bicep, he drove it through the arm forcing Vincent to let out an animalistic shriek as his blood spattered out onto Sephiroth's sword.

The door burst open for the second time just as the general was picking up his captive. Tifa screamed when she saw him and started running towards her childhood friend, covered by Barret's machine gun fire. Sephiroth dodged the bullets, grabbing both her and Vincent by their necks and hurling them at the rest of the party. Holding Cloud close, he barreled through the small crowd and shot towards the staircase, feeling a bullet graze his leg as he did so. He concentrated his energy on the Jenova cells inside him and lifted off the ground toward the top of the staircase, glancing down only once to make eye contact with Vincent Valentine.

SpaceischangingbacktotheheroshappeningsnowbecauseitcantallbeaboutSephyandCloudnowcanitwellyesIsupposeitcanbutinthiscaseitreallyisnt

Vincent watched Sephiroth fly upwards, meeting his eyes just once. He blinked to show that he understood before directing his attention to his severely bleeding arm. Tifa, Yuffie and Red XIII bolted up the stairs after Sephiroth, but the ex Turk knew that any attempts at catching him right now were futile. This feeling seemed to be shared by Barret and Cid (Cait Sith had not yet returned from his search with the Turks) for instead of tearing after the man in the black cape they began to dress his wound.

"Yah think you're alright to walk?" The pilot asked.

Vincent nodded gently and held his arm gingerly so that it wouldn't jostle. "I am fine… Thank you for binding my arm."

Cid shrugged, "It won't hold up to much 'kay? So don't bump it 'round until we get back to the ship." The blonde indicated that Vincent should lead the trio with Barret close behind.

When they reached the outskirts of town, they saw Tifa's figure on her knees, sobbing and pounding the ground with her fists while Red XIII and Yuffie tried to comfort her. Vincent felt a stab of guilt run through him and he went to her with his clawed hand outstretched. The brunette smacked it away and looked up at him with a tearstained face. "You were there in the basement! Why didn't you call out?! We m..might have actually muh…managed to s..save him!" She dissolved into tears once more, putting her now gritty fist to her eyes and trying to rub them away. The ex Turk opened his mouth to say something but Cid laid his hand on Vincent's good shoulder and led him to the airship.

"She should calm down soon 'nuff. You want some tea?" Vincent nodded wordlessly looking at his arm and noticing that blood was already soaking the loose fitting bandage. Cid, noticing where his comrade's gaze was falling, winced a little by way of apology. "Sorry. I'll get ya bandaged up proper in a minute; I didn't have a hell of a lot to work with down in that fuggin' basement. Holler at me when the water's boiled." Vincent gave another small nod and the blonde man shuffled out of the room to locate the proper medical supplies.

The ruby eyed man looked out the window of the kitchen and saw his friends out on the grounds, still trying to console Tifa as she was practically bent double with her sobs. He looked away, glad that the glass blocked out her wailing. 'This must be especially difficult for her… She knows Cloud better than any of us, and has taken almost a maternal role in their relationship. Still, most of those tears are likely springing from exhaustion more than sadness. Lucrecia… am I do the right thing? Is it alright for me to trust in this way? When all is said and done… They will not forgive me, but perhaps it is better that way.' The whistling of the kettle jolted him out of his thoughts and he noticed that in his contemplation, he had raked four lines in the table with his claws.

Cid stumbled back into the room, grabbing the kettle's handle and hauling it off of the heating element. "Jesus, Vin! I said yell!" Vincent looked up quickly, wanting to point out that Cid had not, in fact said "yell" when something more pressing came to mind.

"Vin?" The chain smoker poured the steaming water into a teapot and glanced at Vincent.

"Huh?"

"You called me 'Vin'. I wondered why."

Cid shrugged and grinned, scratching the tip of his nose. "'S a nickname." He poured the tea into two sturdy cups while the red eyed man pressed.

"What is wrong with the name Vincent that it must be shortened?"

The pilot shrugged and passed a cup to the ex Turk. "Nuthin's really wrong with it. Just sounds a too formal, ya know, like you're a hunnerd year old vampire or somethin'."

Vincent snorted just before he took his first sip and had to set down his cup so that the tea wouldn't spill from his laughter. Cid, shocked at his acquaintance's swift change in mood, began to laugh as well, until both men were going so hard that they had to gasp for air. The ex Turk stopped first, wiping the corners of his eyes with his cloak and letting out a few last chuckles. "It has been a very long time since I laughed that hard." He snickered softly. "Vampire, indeed."

Cid was busy wiping the tears of mirth from his own eyes when he said. "I didn't even know you could laugh! That was great!" He set about the task of redressing Vincent's arm in a better binding, but stopped before he began. "Er… Vincent? I'm gonna need to stitch this thing up." The Chaos holder nodded, a small smile still on his lips. He sat through his wound being disinfected without a sound. The silence seemed to make Cid nervous, so he began to ramble a bit to put himself at ease.

"You know, Tifa's just blowin' out hot air right? We all know that you did what you could." The blonde man started sewing up Vincent's arm, trying to be as gentle with the needle as he could. "None of us is really a match for Sephiroth all by our lonesomes, you know? Nasty gash he gave ya though. Still, you should count yer blessings that he didn't do worse damage. Aaand, yep, there we go! Huh? You stopped smiling, did it hurt that much?" Vincent shook his head, the feeling of guilt back over his head like a dark cloud. "C'mon boy, smile! The world's not out to get you." The red eyed tried to smile again, but the tight lipped expression that came instead only vaguely resembled it.

"You can do better than that! Watch me." Cid got right up in Vincent's face and grinned while crossing his eyes and wiggling his ears. For the second time that day, the ex Turk laughed. Not as largely as the first time, but enough to count. "There ya go!" Grinned the pilot, ruffling the red eyed man's hair. "You should do that more often, it looks good on you." Then, as though he'd said something embarrassing, his cheeks went a little pinker and he busied himself with binding the other man's arm.

Cid quickly put all of his tools away and started to hurry out when a metal hand grabbed his arm, causing him to look back. Vincent was looking at him with the most open expression Cid had ever seen on him. "If you still want to call me Vin, I won't mind. As long as it's you who says it."

The pilot nodded and muttered; "I'll do that." Before leaving the room and his forgotten tea with it.

Vincent watched the blonde man's retreating back with the deepest shame. 'I am deceiving my friend.' With a start he thought about the events that had just transpired in the kitchen. 'He made me laugh. Twice. I can't even remember the last time I laughed and yet he brought it about without even trying. What an amazing person he must be.' He had never really taken much time to know any of the other crew members, preferring to keep to himself. Still, if this chain smoking pilot could bring his laugh back that easily, he might decide to spend a little more time with the others.

He felt his arm resentfully, as it was a reminder of the task he had to complete. 'I will come find you Sephiroth. In the City of the Ancients, The Lost City.'

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Sephiroth laid Cloud on the grass just before the sun was due to rise and made a small fire before sitting down himself. They had not covered nearly as much ground as he had wanted but for now it would have to do. He would not risk travelling during the day. Beside him, Cloud stirred, opening his eyes blearily before sitting up with a jolt.

"Cloud." All of Sephiroth's stress and anxiety melted away as he pulled the groggy blonde close and breathed in his scent. "Wuzzgoinon?" Was his only response from the young man he clutched possessively to him. He nibbled his captive's earlobe and spoke in a hushed whisper, stroking Cloud's back as he did so.

"Those people were trying to take you away, but they couldn't. They couldn't because you are mine and they didn't realize that nothing can take you from me. We ran away Cloud. We needed to, but that's alright because we're going to a better place. A much better place for training."

The blonde blinked blearily a few times, pushing his superior away and forcing himself to focus. "You drugged me! And now you're wearing my sword! Stop being creepy and tell me what the FUCK is going on!" Over the last little while, Sephiroth had become more lax on his "no swearing" policy and Cloud was taking advantage of it as much as he could.

Sephiroth unclasped the sword from his back and tossed it a few feet to the side. "If I hadn't drugged you, you might have escaped and gone back to those people who came for you."

Cloud looked up at him uncertainly. "What people?"

The general rolled his eyes towards the sky and said "You know what people. The woman with the grossly disproportional breasts, the man with the metal arm, the ninja, the pilot, the animal and the Chaos holder."

The young man's eyes widened comically. "They came for me? But then why are we… You didn't hurt them did you?!" He asked frantically, caught somewhere between joy and fear.

Sephiroth examined his nails, obviously bored by the conversation and growing too weary to continue it. "Not fatally, I sliced the Chaos holder's arm and threw a few people around. I can't remember who right now." The general yawned so widely that Cloud could hear the man's jaw crack. "But I think the time has come for me to get some rest. Come here, I'm going to chain you to me."

The blonde jumped back. "No thanks."

The silver haired man looked at cloud in annoyance and narrowed his eyes slightly. "I suppose I could always force you, but I usually prefer to give you a choice first."

Cloud looked at his superior pleadingly holding his hands up as though to protect himself. "Wait! I promise I won't run away, I swear it! I'll stay right here next to you okay? Just don't chain me up…"

Sephiroth scrutinized him for a minute before asking; "What do you swear by?" The spiky haired man ran through possible vows in his head. 'My sword? No, swords break too easily. My Mother's grave? Now there's a subject I don't want to bring up around him… hm…'

"Well?" Came the smooth voice of his captor.

"I… I swear by all the respect I once had for you that I won't run away."

Sephiroth gave him a soft, sad smile and kissed him on the forehead, murmuring; "I will not chain you today." Before curling up beside Cloud and falling into a deep sleep.

--

Whoo! Chapter three is done! I was going to upload it last night but I was too tired so instead, you all get it today! In the actual game, Sephiroth has no wings with which to fly, and I was pretty sure he'd slaughter me in my dreams if I said that he flew on the power of awesome. In the end it all comes back to Jenova cells. Gotta love them. To my reviewers:

kelle611:I'm going to have to agree with you on the life sucking front. Poor Cloud... Thanks for the review!

spopococ: Hee! You read Space! that makes me happy! Yeah, Tifa's kind of a noob, but if my bestie got kidnapped I'd be kind of at a loss as well.

amberblood: I'm glad you like the way I'm writing Sephiroth. I love him to pieces and the first time I ever saw him (saw the movie before the game but meh) I almost cried in awe of him. Love Sephiroth and his need for control.

Stoic-Genius: Cloud is insanely confused right now, probably because Sephiroth is sending out such mixed signals. Avalanche does have a knack for interrupting, don't they?


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here.

Chapter 4

Cloud warmed himself by the fire as the sun slowly stretched itself over the ground. How long had it been since he saw the sun? He had lost track of time being in that basement and resolved himself to ask Sephiroth as soon as the man awoke. He looked at the trees around him and found himself beaming with the colours he saw there. The yellows, reds, oranges and browns that were splashed over the leaves had never seemed so clear and full as they did that morning. It was all so beautiful that for a second he looked around for someone to share it with, but besides the obvious choice, there was no one.

He stared at his captor and felt a kind of anger rising in him that hadn't been there before. How dare this man keep him from going outside! Cloud had been missing all of this and he hadn't even realized it what he'd been taken away from. 'I could kill him right now.' He thought suddenly. 'I could slit his throat right now and he wouldn't be able to do anything. I could get away then!' He inched slowly towards his sword, eyes never once leaving the General. He would do it quickly, not giving the sleeping man any time to react to the pain.

Grabbing the hilt, Cloud made to slowly lift it of the ground, tugging it with both hands until a horrible realization hit him. 'I can't lift my sword.' Panicking, he looked in shock at the blade that he'd once been able to swing around as though it were paper before looking at his arms. 'Oh shit!' The formerly muscular limbs had become thin and defective from the months of disuse. He tried jerking the sword up, managing only to lift the end a few inches before it thudded to the ground, which caused Sephiroth to sit bolt upright with his hand on the Masamune.

Cloud sat stock still while the general's eyes locked with his and saw to his great dismay that the man was smirking. "I was wondering when you'd finally try to kill me. Tsk tsk Cloud, did you really think that you could lift any sword after the kind of treatment you've been given?" His captor shook his head at the obvious folly and laughed, though there was something distinctly disappointed in the way he sounded.

The blonde felt his face flush and he looked away, embarrassed and frustrated. "I didn't think I was that weak." He muttered looking at the leaf covered grass with a deep frown on his face. "I was going to slit your throat, or maybe even cut off your head…"

Arms curled around him, pulling him onto Sephiroth's lap and running down his torso in a stroking gesture. Those lips were at his ear once more, nibbling the lobe and causing goose bumps to race down his body. The voice that came past those lips was soft and deep, causing Cloud to squirm uncomfortably. "Well, I'm about to put the fire out, but in the future, instead of grabbing your sword, you could use it to burn me alive." The blonde shivered with mixed emotions as Sephiroth's tongue curled around his ear before snaking down the vein in his neck. "You could grab a branch and stick it through my eye and into my brain…" Cloud let out a tiny whimper as the general bit down on his collarbone. "You could even strangle me." Came the voice from below the blonde's chin. "You're a resourceful boy, I'm sure you'll think of something."

Cloud was shaking now and he tore himself away from the silver haired man, who watched him with a predatory glint in his eyes. "Stay there!" He yelled, trying to sound more confident than he felt and failing miserably. Those unholy green eyes raked over Cloud's body, making him shudder and back away another few paces. "And stop looking at me like that!"

"Why?"

"Huh?" Cloud blinked, unable to tear his gaze from those eyes that seemed to be slowly burning holes through the air around them.

"Why should I stop looking at you in whatever way I choose to?"

The blonde shivered again, noticing that the colours in his peripheral vision seemed almost drained of their vibrancy when placed next to the intensity in those eyes. It was though Sephiroth had the ability to suck the life from the world around him and store it within himself until it became just as twisted and warped as he was. Cloud answered him softly. "Because you make me feel unclean…"

The eyes became brighter and the man's lips parted over his teeth in a sick smile. The blonde watched him draw closer, rendered motionless by those eyes as though he had been turned to stone. "That, my darling puppet, is because you are unclean. You were constructed to be me, in many ways you are me, and as a result, you are smothered in the same vileness that flows through me." His face moved closer and Cloud closed his eyes tightly, feeling utter terror and revulsion within himself. Those cold, smooth lips pressed a kiss to each eyelid and whispered; "You and I will drown together in our filth." Then they were gone.

When Cloud opened his eyes he realized that Sephiroth had gone back to the fire and crushed it with his boot, sending up tiny flecks of ash. He watched the man settle himself on the ground and lie down once more. "Wake me when the sun sets." The blonde nodded, a little dazed and Sephiroth closed those eerie eyes, drifting to sleep once more. Upon looking around, Cloud realized that all of the colours had returned to their proper vibrancy.

He quietly slunk over to the man and looked down at him. When sleeping, Sephiroth looked almost like a corpse, or some kind of otherworldly doll. He didn't look like he belonged in this plane of existence let alone the planet, but seeing him there, defenseless on the leaf covered grass; he couldn't help but reach out and touch the general's arm, just to make sure he was real.

The man was warm to the touch which never ceased to surprise Cloud, for from his lips and demeanor, he would have expected the man to be much colder, like the cadaver he so resembled. Still, the way he touched Cloud… The young man pulled back regretfully, reminding himself that this man was the reason for all of his pain. He was no longer the one who Cloud could turn his thoughts to when he felt scared or alone. They both had changed too much. He sat close to Sephiroth, a chilly autumn wind causing him to rub his arms.

He looked at the sky, a feeling of helplessness washing over him. 'Zack, I don't know what I should do, what I can do. God I wish you were here to help me. I could really use your advice… I miss you. You and Aerith both. I need you guys.'

A warm wind smelling of spring flowers and musk broke over him, rippling through his hair and brushing against his cheeks. He closed his eyes, a sense of hope filling him to the brim and causing his mind to slow down a little bit. A sleepy haze settled over him, making him yawn a little bit. He lay down next to Sephiroth and for once, didn't mind when he was automatically tucked close against the general's chest.

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The Highwind landed around the time the sun went down after an unsuccessful day of searching and the crew, agitated and tired began to grow restless. Eventually, Barret declared that he "wasn't gonna spend another second on this mother fuckin' air ship!" and that anyone who had half a brain in their head should go into town with him. Most immediately complied, glad of a reason to leave the heavy fog of depression that seemed to seep out from under Tifa's door and through the rest of the air ship.

Though the group spread through the town, the place where everyone seemed to settle when it got dark was the bar. Cid, Barret and Red XIII got a corner on the far left to themselves where people gave them a wide birth. It wasn't every day they got a talking animal and two grouchy men that intimidating coming through. Both Cid and Barret ordered tall mugs of beer, too tired to really be bothered by a coherent conversation. Still, the attempt was made.

"How's Marlene?" asked Cid, taking a drink and wiping his mouth.

"Good. How's Shera?" Barret replied.

Cid shrugged, taking another drink, this time longer. "Weird. Stuff's awkward now, you know? Great lady, but not in my interests. Too much of a friend to be anything else." Barret nodded and the silence fell again, not particularly uncomfortable, but definitely there.

Red XIII broke it, his tail twitching anxiously. "Do you think that Tifa will be alright? She was still in her room when we left…" The previous day, Barret had had to carry her in after about an hour. The crew hadn't heard from her since then, and it seemed as though Yuffie was the only one she'd let talk to her, for it was the ninja who came and told them that she wasn't going to join them.

"What the hell do you we left the fucking ship for? I could stand anymore of her goddamn moping!" Cid grumbled into his already empty glass. He called to the bar tender for another glass while Red XIII looked reproachfully at him

"You should really be more kind to her Cid, she's having a pretty rough time of it, isn't she Barret?" But Barret was staring at something over the top of the red lion creature's head and was starting to chuckle.

"Well I'll be damned." Said the bear like man pointing to the door. The other two turned to look and were surprised to see Vincent Valentine stepping in rather tentatively, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed. The two men waved him over and he looked relieved, walking towards them briskly and sitting when they indicated to a chair. "I never thought of you as the drinking type Vincent." Barret said, clapping him on the shoulder before looking guilty when the red eyed man shrunk away from him in pain. "Oh shit! Sorry, I forgot!"

Vincent gave him a pained half smile, waving off his apology with a clawed hand. "It's alright. I do not drink very often, but tonight I felt the need to indulge in good company." He met all of their eyes to show his sincerity.

"Well, ya won't find a better place to do it!" The pilot grinned. "Order whatever ya want Vin! Since it's yer first night out here with us, I'll pay."

The ex Turk's eyes widened and he shook his head, trying to smile again and wishing that he could do it properly on command. "No, tonight I treat all of you. I've been causing a hassle with my arm, it's the least I can do."

The two argued halfheartedly about who would treat whom, but in the end Vincent won and ordered the men a pitcher of alcohol and a few shots of vodka for himself. He offered to get something for Red XIII, but the red lion declined on the basis that he was too young to be drinking, and was just there for the companionship.

When the pitcher and the shots were drained and the men were considerably louder and rowdier from the alcohol in their veins, Vincent got up to pay. A little wobbly, but still able to walk, he went to the counter and the bartender rang up their total. Cid watched the red eyed man, laughing a little. "Ha, only two shot's and he's already drunk, what a lightweight!"

Barret was looking at the pilot with a raised eyebrow. "You were lookin' at his ass just now."

Cid's mouth dropped open, his cheeks going pink in embarrassment that he tried to unsuccessfully cover by becoming louder. "The hell I was! Where's yer head at sayin' shit like that?!" When Barret's expression didn't change he turned to Red XIII. "You saw, didn't ya?" But the red lion-esque creature shook his head.

"Pardon? Oh, sorry Cid, I wasn't really paying attention." The young beast offered a sheepish smile to which the pilot looked horrified, especially when the object of the conversation returned.

"Well, I've paid, we can leave anytime." He looked curiously at the mixed expressions of the group. "Did something hap-"

"I wasn't lookin' at your ass!" The chain smoker blurted out, cutting Vincent off and rendering the bar temporarily quiet.

"A..Alright?" The red eyed man tried another half smile, convinced that this one had failed as well. "Well, at any rate, I think we should get back, it is starting to get fairly late and I'm almost certain that we'll all have hangovers if we don't get a good night's sleep. We still have a job to do." His cheeks had been tinted a soft pink from the vodka and he knew that if he didn't get back soon, he would very likely pass out where he stood.

The group of four staggered out of the bar, good spirits restored due to a man inside singing a nursery song at the top of his lungs with hand gestures. Barret was still laughing loudly from the display inside and now gave Vincent a small punch on his uninjured arm. "Damn Vincent, you can come drinking with us anytime! That was great!"

Cid nodded in agreement, grinning and giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It was great having ya along, you should do more often."

A small genuine smile of happiness worked its way onto Vincent's face and he replied; "You know, I think I will."

Spaceisasleepybutdiligentlittlefanfictionwriterwholikesbothreadingandwritinggayandshouldprobablybedoingworkbutherpartnerhasnotyetshownupsoherexcuseiset

Sephiroth woke up with the feeling of something warm and alive pressed against his chest, and though his first impulse was to strike it dead, he refrained and instead slid his eyes open. He felt the corners of his mouth curl up at the sides from the sight. His precious Cloud was curled up to him like an angel, with his forehead pressed against the general's chest. The silver haired man stroked the blonde man's cheek, deciding not to punish the boy for failing to wake him. 'At least he will be able to move by himself tonight, I'm not sure I would be able to fly two full nights in a row.'

He blew gently over the young man's ear to wake him and found it slightly endearing when the boy made a little groaning noise before snuggling closer to the man's warm torso. Nibbling his captive's earlobe, he whispered softly to the sleeping boy; "Time to wake up my sweet, we need to start moving before the night is too far gone." He lowered his face and nuzzled Cloud's soft neck. 'He is so delicate…' Sephiroth's pupils dilated and a feral smile crossed his face. 'I want to hurt him. Now.' He sunk his teeth into the boy's exquisite neck, feeling the blonde jolt awake as he tasted blood. Cloud's blood. Cloud's delicious blood. He wanted more, but as soon as he let go to find another spot, his former subordinate leapt back holding his neck.

"What the hell was that for?!" The young man shouted as he glared at him. Sephiroth licked the remaining blood off of his lips as though he was tasting an exotic fruit and chuckled.

"I wanted to hurt you, so I did. I must say, you taste delectable." He brushed a few strands of hair away from his face before picking up his pack and standing. "Come, we are already starting late and I do not wish to lose more time. It will be slower on foot, but we can't risk flying right now, especially during the day." He calculated in his head the time it would take them to reach Costa de Sol with breaks for rest and training and settled on five days.

"I forgot that you could fly…" Cloud's voice eased him out of his musings and when he saw the look of wonder on the boy's face he had to turn away. It reminded him too much of how things might have once been. His lip curled and he turned back to the blonde man.

"How else could we have gotten here this quickly? Walking doesn't tire me out that much." He caught Cloud's wrist in his hand and looked at the boy's neck. The bite wasn't too bad but it would probably leave a mark. 'Good.' Sephiroth smirked in satisfaction and began dragging the blonde in the direction he knew they needed to go. When Cloud protested, he let go easily, not particularly in the mood for an argument.

They walked in silence for two hours until the spiky haired man began shivering from the cold fall night. Sephiroth paused just long enough to remove his trench coat and drape it over Cloud's shoulders before he started to walk again. The younger of the two fell behind a few paces in surprise before running to catch up. "Th..thanks… Won't you be cold though?"

The general shook his head and replied without breaking his pace; "I have grown accustomed to the cold. As a former member of SOLDIER I was trained to endure any kind of climate in case I was given a mission in a specific region."

The young man beside him stared at his feet with a faded sort of regret. When he noticed Sephiroth watching him he offered a beaten down smile. "I wouldn't know what SOLDIER is like. I thought for ages that I had been a part of it, but then…"

"You realized that you weren't." Sephiroth finished for him, not bothering to keep the smile from his lips. "I forced you to realize that you weren't. That you were fake."

Cloud looked away, a pained bitterness on his face that leaked into his voice when he next spoke. "Yeah… That I was fake. I think that deep down; I always knew that I wasn't strong enough to be among their ranks. I just wish I had found out in a different way."

Sephiroth sighed, unable to find sympathy for the young man, yet feeling a need to explain. "How would finding it out a different way have changed anything? It was a fact that you had to face eventually, and a truth like that always hurts, which is why it is better to accept it the first time. I had to drag you to the truth while you dug your heels in as far as they would go."

The blonde nodded, shame faced. "I know. I was scared… I didn't want to know the truth, no matter how many times you showed me. It was only when Tifa-"

"Don't talk about her."

The General felt Cloud glaring at him and tilted his face to return the look. The boy had no business talking about that woman when he was with Sephiroth. After all, the spiky haired man belonged to him, and for what the captor had in mind, Cloud must believe that he had no one. "Fine." The boy said, breaking eye contact. "Then why did YOU help me?" He asked scathingly.

Sephiroth was taken aback slightly, though he tried to let no inkling of surprise register on his face, he thought he saw something like smug satisfaction in Cloud's eyes. "I'm not sure myself," he answered coldly. "Ask something else."

The young man nodded, obviously congratulating himself for catching his tormentor off guard. "Okay then," he started, "You say that I didn't kill you, but I remember stabbing you right through the chest. You fell over, covered in blood…" Cloud's voice faltered a little as he remembered, but he forced himself to continue. "Your eyes were wide and blood from your hair line started to drip into them. You got swallowed by the life stream. You died! I remember! Or are you going to tell me that was fake too!? Explain that!" The blonde voice had risen to a shout and Sephiroth stopped moving for a moment, remembering himself what had transpired that night. Slowly, he shook his head and looked Cloud in the eyes.

"No, that wasn't fake." He started walking again, his gaze not leaving the trail in front of them. "You would have made an excellent SOLDIER."

The blonde trailed after the bare-chested man with a confused look on his face. "What does that have to do with anyth-"

Sephiroth drew the Masamune in a lightning like movement and smacked his captive's forehead with the flat of it. "Let me finish!" he snarled at the dumbstruck young man. "Those idiots at Shinra were lucky to have you, not that they appreciated your power… You were strong, even without the mako. Your one problem was that the moment you set foot on the field, you became worried that you'd hurt someone. This prevented you from achieving your full potential. You could never muster the same aggression that the other boys had, the same need to hurt someone else. But I digress. You were strong. In many ways you remind me of how I used to be, wanting to help people, choosing to protect the weak. But do you know? You could have been stronger than me."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Asked the small voice behind him.

Sephiroth whirled to face Cloud, grabbing his chin and forcing it upwards so that the blonde had no choice but to look him in the face. "Interrupt me one more time and I don't care how sweet you are, I'll cut out your tongue and feed it too you. It would be such a shame to put a stop to your singing, wouldn't it my darling chickadee? Nod if you understand what I'm saying." Cloud, his eyes wide and panicked, nodded. "Good boy." He kissed the tip of the blonde man's nose and began to move forward once more.

"Do you know what made me become as powerful as I am right now? Hate. You've experienced it yourself, though at the time you obviously didn't know how to control it. Neither did I at first, which is why I troubled myself with something as meaningless as your town. The magnitude of the emotion overwhelmed me and I struck out at the first thing I could. My companions. My life changed that day. The day I found out that everything I thought I knew, everything I had been taught to believe was a lie. My very existence was planned from the beginning by some unsound scientist hoping to create the ultimate weapon. No matter how hard I tried to make sense of my life, it would always come undone. I was certain of only one thing: How I hated the planet and its inhabitants… How I longed to clean and gut it for Mother… They wanted the ultimate weapon, they simply weren't aware of the consequences of creating it with a mind of its own.

But then there was you. You stopped me not once, but twice. It took me a long time after my first failed attempt to realize why. How could my subordinate have garnered enough strength and willpower to stop me, the most powerful person to be created? Then it dawned on me. You had it too, the hate that made the very fiber of your being feel as though it were on fire. I had triggered it at first by burning your town and killing your kin, that started it, but then you saw that even your dear friends had fallen under my wrath. That must have shredded the final bit of reason in your mind." Sephiroth drew in a deep breath, running his tongue over his lips in pleasure. "It must have been an exquisite sight when you first became consumed in your own rage, your own hatred. I will always regret missing it…

But your fury had a direction. You knew exactly what you were doing, exactly who you were going after. Seeing you there, impaled on my sword and still fighting, it was one of the most terrifying, most arousing things I had ever seen in my life. To see an emotion that uncontaminated, that pure, was sheer ecstasy. And so, on that night, you destroyed a part of me."

"But you came back."

Sephiroth turned, fixing Cloud with an extremely dangerous look, so that the blonde looked at the ground in fear. "Yes." The general said in a silky voice. "I came back. My consciousness was so deeply rooted in your mind that you had ceased to feel me there. I knew everything about you, and therefore, I also knew how to hurt you the most. I had to see it again, that utter hatred that you possessed. I had to see if you were able to keep it burning. The Ancient had to be disposed of anyway, and the fact that she was important to you killed two birds with one stone. Of course," he paused, examining his nails "It would have been much more effective if I hadn't failed in making you kill her. Still, from her death, I had not only garnered the reaction I wished, but had also seen you experience complete and total despair. For the second time you caught me off guard. I had thought that your hate was beautiful, but the look in your eyes, like your world had just been shattered… it took my breath away.

I knew I had to face you again in combat with all of your hate and despair channeled straight at me. This time, I told myself, I'd be ready." At this point, the general stopped walking completely and began to set up a fire. Once he had a small flame going he looked at Cloud stonily. "But you disappointed me. When we fought, your companions battled me alongside you. With them there, you did not need to let loose your emotions.

I wasn't finished though, I brought you down with me for one final combat. You came, and without the others to distract you, you reached within yourself and found that glorious emotion once more. It was more than I could have ever dreamed of… but at the last moment, you lost the will to kill me. You could no longer muster the hate that you needed to finish me. Yes Cloud, you drove your sword through my chest, but whether you'll admit it to yourself or not, you missed my heart on purpose. You missed my vitals on purpose. The life stream surrounded me and I tried to understand what possessed you to not finish me off. And then it dawned on me. You are afraid of your own power, you are afraid of the hatred that you are so capable of. You have the strength to defeat me properly; you simply refuse to use it.

I have stolen you away from the life you know to unlock it, to help you live up to your full potential. You are me and I am you. Our combined strength could knock this world off its axis."

"And the life stream?"

"As you've probably realized by now, my body is not like other human's. The life stream repels Jenova's body and most things connected with her. For anyone else, it would have dissolved them, but because of how I was created, the cells formed a shield around my body, protecting me from the life stream's effects."

Cloud nodded, seemingly lost in thought as Sephiroth stoked their tiny fire. When the flames were to his satisfaction, the general took the young man wearing his coat by the arm and sat the blonde on his lap. The spiky haired man shifted a little awkwardly but stopped moving completely when he felt those lips ghosting over his ear once more. "You know, one day I will set you free, and at that point, you will be able to make your own decisions and choose your own path in life, but until then, you will belong to me body and mind." He kissed the bite mark that he had left earlier, and ran his tongue over it, soothing the wound before sucking on it.

He could hear Cloud struggling with his breath, trying not to show the pleasure Sephiroth knew he felt, just like always. "However," he stroked a line down the blonde's chest with his finger, hearing the young man let a tiny gasp escape his lips. "If you swear to not try to escape and follow my instructions exactly, I will promise to never chain you again."

The blonde looked at him mistrustfully. "Not if the instructions involve hurting other people."

Sephiroth nodded. "These instructions will pertain mainly to training. I wouldn't dream of involving outside sources while you're with me."

Cloud chewed his lip, trying to find a negative other than not being held captive. When he couldn't find one he nodded. "I swear. You already know my vow, I want to hear yours."

The silver haired man's lips turned up slightly at the corners. "I swear on the bond you and I once shared that I will never again bind you. Now get up." Sephiroth's eyes regained that steely glint of cruelty. "You're about to run until you drop."

--

Chapter four, done! Just letting everyone know that the next chapter will take me a little bit longer to write because I'm a little bit iffy with it still. I think about two weeks will be enough. Sorry, it's just that projects are piling up and I really do need to start working a second job or my head will explode from my teeny tiny salary. To my reviewers:

kelle611: It would have been a very bad idea for Cloud to run and in his current state, he probably wouldn't have gotten very far. I'm not sure if I would run, or if I'd be too scared to try it. Thanks for the review!

d0rkgoddess: I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so far! I wasn't originally going to put Vincent in, but it became too tempting to resist.

spopococ: Hee hee, Tina's foobishness. I'm sorry, that would be frustrating, but I'm glad you were able to read it in the end. Cloud didn't run, sorry...

Stoic-Genius: Only Vincent knows his motives at this point, and he's sure as heck not going to tell us yet. Cloud tries, but at this point in time, he is a failure.

demonlifehealer: Woah... you have loads of questions! Fortunately, they will all be answered. Unfortunately, the answers come lateron. You've probably figured out now though that yes, there is a lovely side dish of ValenWind!

amberblood- But of course! Sephy's really a cuddly sneaky bunny on the inside, he just doesn't know how to express his feelings and he's VERY concerned about Cloud's sleeping habits! ;

I love you all! But I will love you even more if you read, enjoy and review! Stick around until the end my duckies!


	6. Chapter 5

Little Bird Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here.

Extra Warning: This chapter WILL contain non consensual sex. If you are offended by this but would still like to proceed, I will put a warning before it happens, so when you see this: WARNING!

For the next three days, the two men went through the same routine. They would walk until Sephiroth set up camp, then; they would train until Cloud fell over with exhaustion, or until the general said it was alright to stop. They ate rations from the silver haired man's pack and whatever game Sephiroth managed to spear on his sword as they walked. He was currently skinning a rabbit while his captive was struggling to do one handed pushups with a log balanced on his back. "Count louder." Commanded the general, skewering the poor creature in his hands.

"Sixty seven, sixty eight…. S..sixty nine…" Thunk. Cloud's arm gave out from under him, causing both him and the log to fall.

Sephiroth's eyes flicked up briefly before returning their gaze to the carcass in his hand. "Get up and start over on the other hand. Give me eighty." He heard the boy curse under his breath and got up, replacing the log upright on the blonde's waiting back.

The nights were definitely getting colder, and Sephiroth knew without consulting a calendar that winter was coming soon. Costa de Sol would be warmer but once they crossed the water there was the danger of Cloud becoming ill from the cold. He would need to pick them up some fresh clothes, that was for sure. He hadn't been able to wash the ones they were wearing since they left the mansion and from the smell that was growing more potent by the day, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd have to burn them.

Sephiroth put the rabbit over the fire and proceeded to watch Cloud struggle. The young man really was coming along nicely, two days prior; he couldn't even lift that log. Soon, Sephiroth decided, he would give Cloud something heavier to work with. He noticed that the boy had begun faltering and he stuck the rabbit over the fire to cook, walking over to the blonde.

He got down in a squatting possession and hissed: "Keep going precious, if you stop, you'll find yourself in the same condition as that poor little bunny." His captive's face tightened as his body tried to keep going, but he was failing and they both knew it. A smile crossed Sephiroth's face and he put his face close to Cloud's straining one. "Your friend Vincent, the Chaos holder… When we were in the basement, I ripped his arm open the Masamune. I'm amazed you didn't wake up when he screamed. Such anguish, he sounded like he was dying. I wonder if he survived…"

The desired effect was achieved. The blonde's eyes were wide and livid, staring at Sephiroth, but his shaking had stopped. "You Bastard… You better hope he's still alive."

The silver haired man grinned, his eyes glittering, elation coursing through his veins. He patted the boys shoulder and whispered; "You were at twenty three." He kissed Cloud's cheek and straightened, going back to the fire while a stunned man completed his pushups with ease.

While waiting for the meat to cook properly, the two began to spar. Cloud, slightly more confident now that he had the vestiges of emotion his superior had told him about was able to break past Sephiroth's defenses and punch him in the stomach. Unfortunately, he was so surprised at actually getting himself a clear shot that he lost faith and became worried that he'd actually do his mentor some damage, resulting in a severely pulled punch. Sephiroth grabbed his fist and slammed him into a tree so hard that Cloud was sure he could hear his teeth rattle. "What in Mother's name do you think you're doing?! You had an opening but you…." The silver haired man sighed, forcing himself to resume a state of calm. "This is what I told you about. Your hesitation. Do not hesitate. Pick up that log and run. I want you to keep running for half an hour while I will myself not to kill you and send your chopped up corpse to your friends."

While Cloud ran, Sephiroth turned the rabbit, a dark look on his face. 'At the last moment, just like that time… he is afraid of what he can do. It is as though something douses his hate before he can be fully productive with it.' He gazed at the figure of the boy dashing between the trees and licked his lips. 'I must do all in my power to rectify this.'

By the time Cloud had come back, shaking with weariness and sweating profusely, the general had cut the rabbit into two portions and was chewing on his with an absent expression on his face. The blonde sat down awkwardly and tried not to think about what he was putting in his mouth when the silver haired man seemed to come out of his reverie. "Tomorrow evening, we won't be doing any traveling. I want to focus solidly on your training for a day." 'I will find a way to help him dredge up that emotion on command. No matter what the cost.' He tasted blood and realized that he had almost bitten through his lip.

"Are you okay?"

Sephiroth looked at his captive with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was touched that the boy would show concern. This feeling was rapidly shrinking and being enveloped by the other hand, which was disgusted that the boy was showing this kind of weakness. He stood and dusted himself off. "Save your worrying for yourself. In just a moment, you will need it far more than I will. Grab your sword."

The blue eyes looking up at him widened dramatically, and the young man immediately began to protest. "What? How can I do that? I can barely even lift it! You don't expect me to fight you with it, do y-" Cloud finished his question with a yell of pain as the Masamune pierced through his hand. Sephiroth withdrew his sword and dropped down once more, kissing the hand he had just stabbed and making certain that the blonde was looking right into his eyes.

"Poor Cloud… if you had only obeyed without questioning me, I wouldn't have had to injure you so. I imagine that lifting your ridiculously heavy blade will hurt even more now." The blood dribbled warmly onto his lips, mingling with his own and collecting there so that when he stood it pooled over and ran down his chin. He licked it off with a satisfied look in his eyes. "Now, let's try this again, shall we? Grab. Your. Sword."

SpacehadabouttwohourssleeplastnightandwasbeginningtothinkverystrangethingslikehowwomenarenotlikewinglassesatallbuthowBarretisalittlebitlikeabeermugdontyouthink

Vincent had been seeing more of Cid recently. The pilot had begun looking over his arm at least once a day, and the two could almost always be found in the kitchen with cups of tea that Cid never drank. At first, the red eyed man thought that he might be under surveillance, but something about the chain smoker's awkward friendliness quickly put his mind at ease. Spending time with Cid gave the ex Turk a sense of inner peace that he hadn't felt in years, and it helped him to forget the guilt of betrayal, if only for a little while.

"Vin?"

The Chaos holder snapped to attention. "Yes?"

"You looked miles away, didja hear me?"

Vincent shook his head, looking sheepish and mumbling out an apology that was quickly dismissed by the pilot. "I was sayin' that the kid's birthday is in a couple days and the guys and I were thinkin' about takin' her to a bar with us as a sign of her growing up and all. What do you think?"

The 'kid' that he was referring to was none other than their resident ninja, Yuffie who, despite trying to look after Tifa between vomit breaks was beginning to skip through the halls in excitement. She had recently taken up a chant while she skipped and anyone who walked close enough to her could hear her whispering; "Gonna be eighteen, gonna be eighteen!"

Vincent released a tiny smile at the thought and nodded slowly. "I'm sure she would appreciate that, but I believe that we should take her to one that we ourselves don't mind being thrown out of." Encouraged by Cid's barking laughter, his smile became more prominent and he added; "Had you thought of a gift to give her yet?"

The pilot shook his head and grinned back. "Nah. I'm no good with this stuff. You got any ideas?"

The ex Turk sipped his tea and looked out the window, noticing how few clouds there seemed to be that day. "We could always get her materia. Materia of her own that she can use as she wishes. I'm certain that the feminine aspect of her gifts will be covered by Tifa, and it would be a fairly gender neutral present." He paused, noting the astonished look on the pilot's face. "Have I said something wrong?"

Cid shook his head quickly. "Nope. I just never thought of it. I thought we'd have to get her somethin' girlie, but your idea's great... Hey, ya want to come up to the deck with me? I'm dyin' for a cig right now." As the two went upstairs, Vincent couldn't help wishing that this feeling of tranquility and joy could last forever. He went to sleep that night resenting the fact that he would be the one to end it.

Two days later, he woke up to two sparkling brown eyes staring at him. "You're awake!" Yuffie cried out, joyfully bouncing around his room. "You usually get up early, so I figured I'd come wake you up because everyone else would be like; 'Yuffie, it's four in the morning! I am so fucking tired that if you don't get out of my room this second I will punt you all the way to your next birthday!' I've been up allll night 'cause Tifa said we could take the day off searching to celebrate! Isn't that awesome? Hey, don't go back to sleep! I'm still talking!"

Vincent gave her a pained look, but instead of pulling the covers over his head like he so dearly wished he could, he said in a small voice; "Please wait outside my room while I'm changing at the very least."

The ninja rolled her eyes and groaned but walked out and shut the door behind her. "You got five minutes until I come back in there Buster! You only ever wear black and that red cape anyways…" He gritted his teeth and stood, dressing himself as quickly as he could and tucking the box of freshly bought materia into his pocket. She looked at him impatiently when he walked out. "Took ya long enough! I'd say let's go to my room but I kinda accidently trashed the place so now my dresser is on my bed and my bed is broken."

Still slightly groggy, he tried smiling down at the girl, knowing by the look on her face that he'd once again failed and sighed. "It's still dark… but if you like, I can make you some sort of birthday breakfast." Just seeing her face light up was worth being woken so early. She grabbed his arm and charged down the hall joyfully. "Now, I am by no means the best cook here, but I will do my best." he warned her.

Yuffie wrinkled her nose and scowled at him. "Who cares if you're not the best? I sure don't! Now stop stalling and cook something good!" The man nodded slightly. Removing his cloak and putting on an apron, he set about the task of making a meal while the ninja sat at the table, kicking her legs. "Hey Vincent," she began, causing him to turn and spill some of the batter. "I was just wondering, why don't you smile for anyone but Cid? With him you're like this!" She put on a ridiculously large, goofy smile. "But with everyone else you're like this." She squished her face into an exaggerated frown. "I'm just wondering is all…"

Vincent looked at her, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. "I am sorry that I do not smile as often as most… I have been trying to rectify that recently, but I suppose it hasn't been working very well. I do not understand why myself, but Cid has the ability to bring about my smile."

The ninja grinned at him, stifling a yawn while saying. "Then hang around with him more! Just do me a favor, stop doing that forced smiley thing. It's really creepy and it makes you look like you're about to puke!"

The red eyed man nodded solemnly before returning to his task. He heard the girl yawn again and when he turned to face her, arms laden with pancakes, he wasn't surprised to see that she had fallen asleep on the table. He sighed and set down the food, undoing the apron and putting his cloak back on. Lifting the girl gently, he walked down the hall and tucked her into his bed after remembering the state her room was in.

Vincent left the room, feeling the lost hours of sleep begin to take their toll on his own body. He knocked quietly on Cid's door before poking his head in. "Cid?" he stepped in, shutting the door behind him with an almost inaudible click. Tiptoeing over to the pilot, he shook his shoulder very gently with his clawed hand. The blonde man let out a groan that contained some unintelligible profanity before cracking one of his eyes open.

"Wuzz wrong Vin?" He slurred, rubbing a hand down his face.

"I..I'm very sorry to wake you, but I was wondering if I might use your couch to sleep on for a few hours." The blonde man gave his grumbled consent before drifting back off to sleep, and once Vincent had settled himself on the plush couch, he joined the pilot in slumber.

Spaceisfinallyplanningongettingadecentnightssleepandhasmadeapromisetoherselftowriteatleastsevenhundredwordsonthisperdaysoasnottoloseinspirationorfallbehindinschool

Sephiroth had worked Cloud so hard that he wasn't surprised when the boy was still limp with sleep once the second night came. He latched the swords and pack to himself and lifted the boy up, healing the new wounds he had given him before concentrating and forcing the Jenova cells within him to bestow his body with flight.

It had been a difficult day and the two had been sparring for eleven hours. Even now it looked as though Cloud's arms were trembling from the burden of his sword. Sephiroth had had to tell him many things to keep the boy enraged and even then, the blonde had practically been dragging his sword around the clearing. It was becoming bothersome, but the general had been forming a plan in his mind which he now executed. He took flight, pressing his forehead to Clouds and allowing just a strand of his consciousness to twine into the blonde's mind.

The spiky haired man winced, but didn't wake up. Now that he was in, Sephiroth could maneuver around, leaving traces of himself inside and prodding gently at the young man's emotions. 'Before he began hunting me again, I thought that he had lost these, but it seems that they have only grown stronger with repression…' Finally, he found the one he was looking for and coiled the strand around it, smiling slightly. 'He won't feel a thing until I pull it.'

Cloud's eyes opened slightly, shivering as the wind whipped by the two men. Upon realizing that his feet were no longer touching the ground however, he jumped so hard that Sephiroth almost dropped him. Instead the silver haired man dug his nails into the boy's arms, leaving harsh imprints. The blonde barely seemed to notice as he looked down at the landscape going by. "We're actually flying…" he gave a small laugh of wonder making the general turn his face away, unable to look at his captive's face.

"If you move too much, you will stop flying and find yourself to be nothing more than a splatter below me." The general bit out, looking towards their destination. "We're almost there now…" From the looks of things, Cloud hadn't taken in a word he'd said and was still was wearing a slightly dazed but happy expression. Narrowing his eyes, Sephiroth loosened his grip and let the blonde slip from his fingers, only to catch the flailing young man after he'd fallen a few feet, chuckling softly at the rapid beating of his captive's heart.

The boy opened his mouth, trying to find words other than 'Crazy Motherfucker!' to shoot at the man holding him precariously so high above the ground, but couldn't come up with anything that wouldn't get him dropped. "We're here." Came the cold voice of his tormentor before causing them both to plummet and land miraculously gently. Cloud paled as he tried to remind his heart to start beating again.

Sephiroth led the blonde by the hand into the city of Costa de Sol, where the merchants in their stalls continued hawking their goods to the nearly deserted street. The silver haired man ignored the looks that the two were getting and purchased some new, easy to move in clothes. He really would have liked to burn the ones that they were wearing but Cloud's look of dismay upon hearing his plans won out over his better judgment and he instead took them to be cleaned.

Once they had finally checked into a hotel room (under false names), eaten and showered, Sephiroth put on his boxers and walked back into the bedroom. He found a similarly clothed Cloud sitting on the large bed that he had specifically asked the quaking man at the counter for. "This is sort of like old times, isn't it?" Sephiroth froze slightly before opening and closing his hands a few times.

"I'm not sure I quite understand." He replied calmly, moving slowly towards the boy who was now looking out the window. Cloud turned to face him when he felt the weight of the other man on the bed beside him. He offered a half smile to which the general simply raised an eyebrow.

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be evil, you seem to do some pretty nice things for me, even if your try not to. I mean… You are bad, and you keep hurting me and my friends… but you're still the only person who it's ever felt this easy to talk to." When he saw the General's face tighten and blanch he shook his head, trying to put the silver haired man at ease. "Sorry, I went off topic for a second. When I said like old times, I meant that all of this travelling and training reminds me a bit of when we went to Nibelheim. Pre Jenova I mean." He turned back to the beach view through the window, failing to notice the subtle quickening of his former hero's breathing and the slitting of said man's pupils. "It's just that… When I look at you now, it reminds me a little of the man you used to be, the man who still shows himself every once in a while."

WARNING

The young man let a small gasp escape his lips as he was forced onto his back by his neck. Sephiroth shoved his arms above his head in an iron grip. The silver haired man stuck his knee on top of Cloud's chest, effectively pinning the boy there. He looked down into the wide blue eyes of his captive and let a sadistic smile tug at his lips, letting go of the blonde's neck and dropping his hand to the younger man's clothed crotch and rubbing it roughly. "Oh Cloud, once again you disappoint me. I thought you would have figured it out by now. There is nothing left of that man." He moved his face down by his captive's ear and hissed, squeezing the boy's groin. "That man was a lie. He never existed. How sweet of you to think that even back then I truly cared." He bit down hard on the blonde's earlobe, only satisfied once he drew blood.

In a swift movement he had removed his former subordinate's under garments and was smirking at him. "Did you honestly think that we were ever friends? That I ever cared about you?" His hand wrapped around Cloud's cock and began jerking him off with long, swift strokes. The young man under him squirmed, crying out helplessly. The sound was music to the general's ears as he ripped off his own boxers and ground down into the blonde. "Do you like it when I treat you roughly? You were only ever a tool you little brat. A tool that I will continue to use in any way I choose." He flipped the blonde over onto his hands and knees, ignoring the terrified pleading that came from the struggling boy. "And now, you are going to take it like the dog you are." He finished simply, letting the elation of his actions rush through his veins before plunging himself into the other man without preparation.

A scream of agony tore it's self out of the throat of the man beneath him, making Sephiroth's breath catch. Cloud's body was so tight, so hot that he grabbed the blonde's hips, thrusting in and out of that delicious heat, needing more. Angling himself differently, he concentrated on hitting Cloud's prostate, and after a moment, he knew he had succeeded when the other man's next scream was tainted with a moan of ecstasy. He let his right hand slip in front of his victim, running his hand up and down Cloud's shaft once more as he moved.

He laid kisses down the blonde's back when the young man let out a choked sob and proceeded to rub his thumb over the tip of Cloud's cock, causing the boy's body to shudder violently with the mixed sensations. It drove him crazy to feel the heat tighten around him slightly, but he refused to spill his seed before Cloud. Still, it was all he could do to hold on until the blonde finally came in his hand following a throaty moan and convulsion. Feeling the final clenching of muscles was enough to send Sephiroth over the edge, biting Cloud's shoulder as he came deep inside the boy.

He withdrew himself from the blonde, who almost immediately collapsed onto the bed, shuddering and clutching himself before curling into a tight ball. Sephiroth brushed back his sweaty hair, panting lightly. He leaned over and whispered softly in the boy's ear. "Hope will only ever hurt you Cloud, you need to remember that. The man you thought you knew is dead and gone." Stroking the hair of the trembling boy, he added softly, almost inaudibly; "And do you know what else? You enjoyed that. I made you enjoy it. You are mine, and always will be."

With a quiet whimper as his only reply, he straightened and walked to the bathroom for another shower, leaving Cloud to his own tormented thoughts.

END WARNING

Spacefoundthatmuchmoredifficulttowritethanshehadfirstthoughtandherhandsareshakingalittlebitnowbutitwasgoingtohappenfromthebeginningbecausetheyarebothsobroken

It had been an interesting night, but despite Vincent's concerns, they weren't thrown out of the bar as almost everyone in the establishment found Yuffie endearing. Still, they probably wouldn't visit it again anytime soon. The ninja had been ecstatic about her gifts and had only settled down after she was reassured that she could test out her materia as much as she wanted when they left.

Barret carried an extremely drunk Yuffie out that night with Tifa up front with Red XIII and the Pilot and ex Turk bringing up the rear. The new eighteen year old was cackling as she told the others about the events that had transpired so early in the morning. "And then, I woke up Vincent! HA! You remember, right?"

The red eyed man nodded softly, the high collar of his cloak hiding his face from the nose down. "It is something I don't think I will ever be able to forget." He replied solemnly, causing the girl to kick her legs in a renewed fit of giggles, almost smacking Barret in the face. She told them about how; when he had finally made her breakfast she had fallen asleep from waiting for so long.

"And then 'cause my bed was all broked n' stuff, he put me in his! It's okay though, because Cid let Vinny sleep in HIS room!" Both men in the back twitched slightly, even through the alcohol, things were getting a little awkward.

When Cid had woken up to see Vincent asleep on his couch, it had taken him a few seconds to remember why. As he did, the pilot couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. He had pulled on his pants and moved to his couch, looking at the sleeping ex Turk and putting his hand on Vincent's shoulder to wake him as gently as possible. Unfortunately, Barret had burst in at that moment and had given him the same look as in the bar before backing out the way he came. As much as the two had tried to explain, it hadn't changed the looks that they were starting to draw from the other crew members.

Yuffie's voice cut through the blonde man's thoughts when it became higher pitched. "Agh! But my bed is still broked!" The ninja whined. "Vincent, I'mma gonna sleep in your bed okay? Cid'll let you sleep in his again."

The pilot's eyes widened. "Now wait just one goddamn second here!"

"I think you may be under some misconception. Cid was kind enough to let me use his couch last night. I would be glad of that opportunity again, but not if it would make him uncomfortable." Vincent didn't make eye contact, for which Cid was grateful, but it still called for him to say something.

"'Course you can use my couch Vin. You sure ya won't mind idiot's thinking that we're fucking though?"

A snort came from the ninja, who was twirling her materia happily in her hands. "Don't be mad just 'cause I'm the only one who's seen Vinny in an apron!"

The conversation ground to a halt then, as each crew member got a different image in their head, and Vincent, completely oblivious (courtesy of the vodka) concentrated on trying to move without swaying too much.

Later that night, when the pilot still hadn't come down to his room, Vincent sighed and went up onto the deck. There the blonde was, smoking and looking out over the edge. "Cid?" The red eyed man stood beside him, still a little woozy. "The other's comments… did they truly bother you? If they did, I could ask them to st-" a hand was placed on his head, cutting him off.

"Not everything is your fault Vin. Those guys're just playing around. I just came here 'cause I got a lot on my mind and I can think better up here." He ruffled his friend's black hair, grinning at the disgruntled look he got in response.

The red eyed man removed the hand from his head slowly, but held on to it with both the flesh hand and the gauntlet clad one. "If you wish to be left alone, I can go… I was just a little concerned about you. I enjoy spending time with you, and I value you as a friend, so when you act out of character, it worries me." He looked into the pilot's blue eyes and was relieved when his gaze was met and held.

The two stood like that for a few moments until Vincent released the other man's hand. "You aren't usually this talkative Vin, I think you had a bit too much to drink."

Vincent nodded slowly. "You are probably right." The silence persisted until both men tried to break it simultaneously.

"How old-"

"About the other-" Cid stopped, realizing that he had cut the red eyed man off and motioned for him to continue.

The ex Turk began again, slightly more flustered and with his eyes glued to the ground. "How old are you, Cid?"

"I'm thirty two. How old are you?"

Vincent didn't look up from the ground, muttering; "My body is twenty seven."

The pilot blinked, trying to understand what the red eyed man was telling him. "But that's not your real age 'cause you were sleepin' in that coffin for a while, right?" He lit another cigarette as the ex Turk nodded. "So what are you saying?"

Vincent rested his arms against the railing and looked over the edge at the dark town. "What I am saying is that while you and the others continue to grow, I will remain this way forever. When all of you are dead and gone, I will be alone again. This… This has been troubling me recently and I wished to selfishly share my burden with you." He closed his eyes, shocked into opening them almost immediately when the back of his head was smacked.

"Why the fuck are you worried about that right now?!" Cid barked as a stunned Vincent turned to face him. "We're here right now. I'm here right now, see? And I'm not gonna go anywhere for a long time, so you better count on being stuck with me, ya got it?! Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow and enjoy today while it lasts. You gotta live, Vin. Actually live today, none of this future shit your sayin' matters right now." The blond man inhaled the nicotine deeply and blew it out into the cold night air. "My turn now. The other night, I was totally lookin' at your ass."

The red eyed man, startled and staring, began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that tears began to dribble down his face and he had to lean on Cid for support. "Even at a time like this," Vincent gasped for air through his mirth only to collapse into giggles again, soon followed by Cid. "Wh..why are you laughing?" The red eyed man asked weakly as they both began to slide down onto the wood.

"I can't help it!" Wheezed out Cid, trying and failing to hold to the railing. "Every time I see you doing it, it just gets me going."

The two men sat hunched on the deck until their chuckles had died out. Vincent looked at the chain smoking blonde and smiled. 'Is it alright for me to feel this happy? Lucrecia, am I allowed to feel this way again?' Without waiting for the reply in his head he asked; "Cid, do you want to kiss me?"

Seemingly caught off guard by the question, the pilot just stared at him open mouthed before starting to stutter. Putting up his clawed hand and stopping the shaky noises coming from the blonde's mouth, Vincent said: "Cid, I want to kiss you."

Cid sat there for a second before letting a sheepish grin settle on his face. "Well then, I guess you better."

Vincent pressed his forehead against the other man's and allowed their lips to brush gently before pressing them firmly together. Cid's hand snaked around to the back of the red eyed man's head and stroked the hair that hung there before running it over Vincent's cheek. The two pulled away around the same time but did not part their foreheads, enjoying the comfort that each felt there.

"I am drunk."

"Yeah, so'm I."

"Will things go back to normal tomorrow?"

"I thought I told you," Cid grinned at him, "Worry about tomorrow when it happens."

"Mm." Vincent laid his head against the pilot's shoulder and they both looked out at the town that was lit only by a few street lights. Cid's arm tucked around his waist and pulled him closer. For a while, it felt like nothing else existed in the world except the two men that beautiful view. Then the magic was broken by a young female voice.

"Ha! I told you so! Barret, you owe me fifty gil!"

Spaceisalittlebitconcernedthatsheisspendingtoomuchtimeonthiscouplebutitseemstobetheonlywaythatshecangetagooddoseoffluffintoherwhichisvitaltoremainhealthysheswears

Cloud lay on the bed, shaking uncontrollably to the sounds of the shower. No matter how hard he tried to get warm, the shivering wouldn't cease and there was a chill in his body that he couldn't shake off. That was fine. Anything to distract him from the pain that had threatened to tear him in two. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he must be bleeding, but he couldn't bring himself to look down and confirm it.

No matter how much he tried to ignore them, his thoughts kept coming back and circling his head like vultures. Sephiroth's words stuck to them, filling his ears and as much as he wanted to scream that none of them were true, he was becoming less sure over time. You enjoyed it. 'I didn't… It hurt so much…' I made you enjoy it. 'No. No! It didn't matter what he did! I hated it! Torn apart….' You are mine. 'I don't belong to any one! Only I can control me! I… I can't keep doing this… It hurts to feel… This man is going to kill me.' Hope will only ever hurt you Cloud, you need to remember that. 'Yes.' He thought dejectedly. 'I know that now. I won't forget.'

He looked at the naked man toweling off in front of him and to his dismay, along with the despair and anguish he felt wash over him, there was also a twinge of desire at the sight. 'I have to stop feeling this way. It has to stop now. It will stop now.'

Sephiroth approached the young man with the dull glassy eyes and ran his hand through his own hair. 'Did I break him? Poor Cloud. Poor sweet little Cloud. My sweet little song bird had its wings clipped and now knows the cruelty, the truth about the world. About me. I should be delighted. I must be delighted and I just haven't realized it yet.' He lay beside the blonde and wrapped his arms around the quaking body. 'He's cold as ice.' The spiky haired man shuddered but did not pull away, allowing the general's body to engulf him in filthy heat and sordid comfort.

Sephiroth did not kiss the back of the boy's head, though something inside him wanted to so fiercely that it took almost all of his willpower to control the impulse.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud's voice seemed deadened and defeated, causing the general to feel as though something sharp was being rammed repeatedly through his chest.

"Yes?" He let go of the boy and the pain seemed to subside slightly.

"You've never kissed me on the mouth. You do everywhere else, but not my lips. I wondered why. "

The silver haired man felt something clench inside him, waiting. "Why would I kiss you on the lips? I do not love you, and therefore will not kiss you there."

There was a silence, then: "Oh… I guess that makes sense."

The feeling inside the general seemed to tighten before ripping a hole in his chest that felt so real he had to look down to make sure that he was still whole. The echoes that had left upon Cloud's arrival were starting to come back softly. To distract himself, he asked a question of his own.

"Cloud, do you hate me?"

The blonde turned to face him in the bed and looked at him with the coldest eyes that Sephiroth had ever seen on anyone besides himself. "Yes, I do."

The general nodded, a pained, bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, you do. Good night Cloud."

"Goodnight Sephiroth."

"Will you try to kill me tonight?"

"Wait and find out."

Sephiroth nodded and, doing his best to ignore the memories and voices whispering in his ears, he closed his eyes and curled up to the boy beside him in hopes that they would stop. Cloud, in turn, moved away from the silver haired man, trying to suppress the way that his body cried out for the physical comfort that the general could no doubt provide. Sleep fell over the two broken individuals, giving them just a tiny bit of peace in their own purgatory.

--

So yeah. Chapter five is complete. Bloody hell, that was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I got it done in the nick of time. This chapter will probably make some of my readers leave me, but it had to be done. From this point on, I can't promise consistent updates and I am hesitant to give a specific date for the next chapter because I'll probably break it. We'll say around three weeks for the next chapter, okay? I love you guys!

To my reviewers:

kelle611: I'm glad you enjoyed it, I was a little worried that they were rambling too much (I tend to do that when i write). Thankyou!

demonlifehealer: Uh... yeah... About that not hurting Cloud thing... uh... hmm... yeah. Sorry... I hope that Cid and Vinny made up for it?

spopococ: I'm glad you liked it! Do you really mean it? You'll stay for ever n' ever? I cling to my computer in hopes that my happy/creepy vibes reach you!

amberblood: Yay! You're back! I feel kind of bad for your beating heart, but I'm glad that you're enjoying it.

Well, that's it for now my lovley duckiphants. Please continue to read, enjoy and review (especially the last two parts, seriously, you should see how excited I get when I see that people actually like it!). Until next time!


	7. Chapter 6

Little Bird Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here. ALSO! There will be sex in this chapter but this time I am not sticking a warning on it like I did for the rape scene. Since you're reading an M-rated fanfiction, I hope this will not come as a huge shock.

The boat ride from Costa de Sol was a silent one in which the other passengers stayed well away from the general and his captive. "Do you think they know?" Sephiroth asked calmly, already knowing the answer. He looked at the slightly sea sick blonde beside him, not really expecting a response but receiving one anyway.

"Yes sir. There is a man coming up behind you with a gun." Cloud had begun talking as though they were still working for Shinra. Neither man had spoken about the incident that had taken place the previous night, and both seemed to have retreated into their own shells.

In a movement that the normal human eye could not detect, the general drew his sword and dismembered the gun like it was paper. The spiky haired man watched with a blank face as Sephiroth did this without looking back. "I asked if they knew. I did not ask if someone was trying to kill me. I already knew that." Cloud shrugged and looked at the silver haired man as he turned to face the rest of the ship's passengers. He caught the general's arm before he could disembowel the cowering man before him, causing them both to jerk back as though burned.

"With all due respect sir, I don't think that slaughtering people will throw the world off our trail." Those green eyes were staring at him, boring through him. He looked back into them, not defiantly, not pleadingly, just persistently.

"I suppose you are right, but should another one come at me like that, I WILL defend myself." Sephiroth went back to staring at the water, unable to look at those cold, dull eyes that no longer showed anything. 'It is what you wanted.' He reminded himself silently. 'It is for the best.' He hadn't touched Cloud since the night prior, as it seemed to make the hole he felt in his chest become larger every time he tried, eating away at him slowly. "This could have been avoided if we had just flown."

"You gave me a choice Sir."

"Yes, and I agreed with you. I'm simply stating a fact, nothing more." He sighed and sheathed the Masamune, rubbing his temples. The echoes were getting louder. For a moment, he was in a room, sitting on a metal table and looking at the test tubes around him. He could hear a woman screaming in the other room at someone to let her see him.

"General?" Cloud's voice brought him back to reality and upon looking down, he saw that he had crushed part of the railing with his hands. He moved a little closer to his captive and the voices dimmed just slightly. The blonde looked at him. "The ship will dock in about five minutes. We should run."

Sephiroth looked at the boy incredulously. "Run? You can barely walk." The spiky haired man turned away and the general fought the urge to grab and shake the boy until his head came off. "We will not be caught. I will protect you."

Cloud's face twitched and turned a pale shade of green before he retched over the side of the vessel. Sephiroth knew that it had nothing to do with the sea sickness.

When the ship docked in Bone Village the two men made certain that they were the first ones to exit the boat and after a small distraction with the general's fire materia, they disappeared into the trees.

"I'm surprised that you didn't try to escape." The general commented mildly, eyes sliding to look at the blonde.

"I'm flattered that you think I'd be able to, Sir."

"You would be able to try." He pushed gently, still slightly miffed that there had been no murder attempt the previous night.

"That would mean that I had some sort of hope. I'm not stupid enough to want to find out what you would do if you caught me." Cloud replied dully.

Sephiroth tilted his head back and looked at the sky through the trees, pupils slitting slightly as he imagined the possible outcomes of that action. An echo of Hojo's voice cut through his head and he winced, quickening his pace. "Come. We will reach the city in a few hours. I imagine that by this point, you realize where it is that we're going." The young man remained silent, matching the general's speed though his stride was broken by a limp. Noticing this, the general clenched his teeth together until he was sure that they'd shatter. "Would you like me to use a healing materia?" he asked softly, staring directly ahead.

He felt the blonde hesitate slightly in his icy shell before answering. "No. I want to remember this. I need to remember." Sephiroth nodded as the hole in his chest slowly grew in size, and at this point, he had to briefly look down to reassure himself that it was all in his mind. "I do have a question though…" The general could see the young man watching him out of his peripheral vision.

"Ask away."

Cloud was rapidly flushing and paling so that for a moment, the general was worried that the young man might faint, but instead, the blonde asked his question in a low voice. "Will you touch me again? I mean, when we get there."

That gorgeous feeling slipped back into the silver haired man and the pain dissipated along with his reason. "Are you worried that the dead woman will open her eyes and see?" When he received no answer he sneered and stopped walking, turning to Cloud. "Make no mistake, if I want to drag her decomposing body from the water and violate you on top of her, I will. I will do as I please and will make no promises either way."

The blonde stumbled but before he fell, was whipped off the ground and over the general's shoulder, causing him to thrash wildly. "You were walking too slowly." Sephiroth tried to reason before the young man's fist connected with his jaw.

"PUT ME DOWN!" The enraged man screamed. More out of shock than compliance, the general dropped him instantly and began walking; looking back when he realized that he wasn't being followed. His captive was curled up and shaking violently, his breathing ragged. The elation left the silver haired man and the pain slowly drifted back in as he retraced his steps.

He didn't bother offering a hand, knowing that it would be rejected. Instead, he stared coldly down at the boy he had so brutally tormented. "Get up and move." Sephiroth hissed, drawing his sword and resting it against Cloud's shoulder. "If you don't-"

"What, you'll kill me? Go ahead."

The general tilted the blade slightly so that a thin slice began to grow on the shoulder, slowly causing blood to drip slowly from the wound. "I will not kill you now. But I will make you wish you were dead." Those frigid blue eyes looked up dully and Cloud brushed the Masamune off his shoulder, not feeling the sting of the metal as it slid off. He got to his feet and walked ahead of Sephiroth, face turned towards the ground.

"Too late." He muttered.

Wellspacefeelsabsolutelydevastatedabouthowthischapterisbegginingandthingshavebeenmuchhardertoconcentrateonsincethelastchapterwashardtowrite

By the time the afternoon rolled around, one quarter of the flight staff had handed in their resignation. The usual pilot, thankfully, had not, which made Cid's job a little bit easier and gave him time to do the copious paper work that had come from his staff quitting. As much as he and the ex Turk had tried to keep it quiet and explain to their friends that they were drunk, when the morning came, there wasn't a person on the ship who didn't know what had happened.

As if his day wasn't stressful enough, upon leaving his room, he saw Vincent getting cornered by an extremely irate Tifa. "The rest of us are searching for Cloud and yet you still seem to have time to mess around, huh? That's funny, because the others and I don't seem to have much time for anything."

"Don't assume that because I do not spend my limited free time alone sulking that I am not worried about Cloud." Vincent replied crisply. The fact that he was defending himself already proved that his day had been no better than Cid's. The chaos holder's eyes flicked to the blonde's briefly before trying to move past the woman attempting to tower over him.

"Hey Tifa," Cid called loudly. "You gonna order a new bed for the kid or is Vincent here gonna have to camp out on my couch forever?" If looks could kill, Cid would have exploded, and then his exploded pieces would explode. The brunette was glaring at him with such a cold intensity that he was amazed he hadn't frozen rock solid.

"From what I've been hearing all morning you wouldn't mind that too much, would you? In fact, why bother with the couch? He can just hop into bed with you!" Both men looked at her in a stony silence and the woman closed her eyes, wrinkling her brow. "Sorry. That was uncalled for. It's just, this is coming completely out of left field and it almost seems… convenient. I know that it isn't!" She put up her hands in defense as the two bristled. "I'm just saying what it feels like. Look, let's just have this conversation when I've calmed down a bit."

'And there aren't two of us to protect each other.' Cid thought grimly as he watched the woman's retreating back. The red cloaked man began to shrink away as well but the pilot reached out and grabbed his arm before he could. Guilty red eyes swiveled to look at him and he couldn't help but smile at the partially covered face of Vincent. "Shitty day, huh?" He received a small nod in response.

"Yes… Thank you for defending me like that. I was just coming to talk to you actually, but I started to think better of it." Before he could move, Vincent was yanked into the pilot's office and tossed into a chair. "Cid, wh-"

"Do you regret last night?"

The ex Turk flinched as Cid's words bit into him, but he looked up into the man's blue eyes anyway. "I do not regret it. But I need to tell you that it cannot happen again."

Cid looked at him with a sort of unnerving calm and leaned on his desk in front of the Chaos holder. "Why not? Why the hell not? If you didn't regret it, if you LIKED it then why can't it happen again?" Vincent seemed to sink into the collar of his cloak, closing his eyes against the angry blue ones. "Is it everyone else giving you shit or is it just me you don't like?"

There was a small hesitation before the ex Turk's eyes opened, looking more strained than the pilot had ever seen them. "It isn't you. It isn't other people. Please… I like you, perhaps more than I should, and if I let this continue, I will only end up causing you pain. I do not wish for that." There was misery and regret in his voice as he stood. "I want to be your friend, but that is all I can be, and I'm afraid that I won't be very good at that either." The red eyed man stood and headed for the door, stopped only briefly by Cid's voice.

"So I don't even get a say in this?" The blonde man asked, his frustration evident in his voice.

Those blood like eyes turned to him sadly and lowered. Lucrecia's melancholy face brushed gently against the frame of his mind and he gritted his teeth. "No, I'm sorry. Things will be simpler this way…" 'I cannot allow this to continue right now, I must finish what I allowed to begin. This is the way it must be.' He left the room before Cid could respond, hearing the soft screech of the gauntlet as he clenched his fists. 'I will aid your son Lucrecia, I will not allow anything to interfere with our goal.'

He could see her tearstained face in his mind's eye, the way that she shook her head violently, clutching her arms. She couldn't speak here, he knew this. He made up his mind to travel to the cave where she rested as soon as the airship drew near to it. He went to speak with Tifa about it, ignoring the looks he received from the crew.

Inside his office, Cid was crushing various things with his hands. He was caught between numerous emotions, the strongest being confusion, frustration and copious amounts of anger. He swiped his arm over the desk, causing the resignation letters to scatter on the floor. This completed, the pilot rammed his foot into the desk, swearing loudly as it skidded along the floor before crashing into the wall. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, inhaling the nicotine as though it tasted of candy. When the knock at the door came, Cid thought he might implode. "WHAT!? FUCKIN' WHAT?! I AIN'T ACCEPTIN' ANY MORE RESIGNATIONS SO IF YOU WANNA LEAVE THEN JUST GET THE FUCK OFF MY FUCKING AIRSHIP!"

Barret opened the door, seemingly unfazed by the vulgarity and the volume at which it was delivered. The pilot watched his friend walk in and look at the pieces of paper that almost blanketed the floor. "Rough day?" The man offered, picking up a few sheets of loose leaf.

"You got no idea." Cid looked warily at his comrade. He hadn't seen Barret since the previous night and therefore couldn't judge the other man's reaction to the events he had seen.

The bear like man looked at his shoes, squinting slightly before starting to speak. "Look Cid, even though you're gay, I'm still your friend, you got that, right?" He raised his eyes to look at the blonde man, grinning when he saw that the other man was lost in a cloud of smoke and frustration.

"I'm not fucking gay!" the pilot huffed, waving away the noxious fog with his hand.

"Then what the hell was last night all about?"

"Vincent is-" Cid broke off, unsure of how to finish his thought. "Different… I dunno. But then he just comes in here sayin' pretty much that he doesn't wanna do it again. I'm not good with this emotional shit, man. Help me out!"

"Just Vincent, huh?" The blonde nodded already lighting another cigarette. "So I don't gotta worry about you hitting on me, right?" He laughed at the disgusted look and middle finger he got in response. "Just checking. Damn though, you got weird taste. Just keep doin' what you already do around him I guess, but if he's not into it, don't do that shit any more. That's all I got but if shit happens and you wanna talk, I'll pretend to listen."

Cid let out a tight smile, grinding the cancer stick between his teeth. "Thanks." The other man nodded, handed him the papers and left. When he knew he was alone, the pilot ran a hand haggardly down his face. "Goddamnit Vin… " he muttered.

Spaceiscomingtothefrighteningrealizationthatthischapterprobablywontbedonebythetimeshesaiditwouldsheisverysorrybutdoesnotknowhowtomakeituptoherreaders

Cloud was training. He had been practicing with the buster blade for the last two weeks under Sephiroth's instruction. The sweat rolled off him in rivulets as the general demonstrated and drilled the various moves into his brain. Finally, when he felt as though he would pass out were any more punishment delivered, Sephiroth called a halt to the day and had him go clean up in the water.

When they had first arrived in the lost city, Cloud had refused to go near the water for days, choosing instead to allow the filth to accumulate on his body. It wasn't until the general had dragged him in by his hair and scrubbed him pink that he even touched the water. As he reached the bank of the lake he looked down into the dark water cautiously, searching for any signs of Aerith's body. 'I'm sorry…' he thought quietly, splashing some of the cold liquid over his face. 'I swear I will avenge you, soon. I won't fail.' The warm wind that he had grown accustomed to brushed against his cheek, feeling him with a sense of sadness. He discarded the emotion and the wind faded, leaving the chill of the water and the bite of winter to freeze him.

When he got back to the camp, he was relieved to see that a fire was already crackling in the abandoned house that the two men had sought refuge in. He settled by it, looking around before pulling on some clean clothes. Placing his hands by the fire he sighed in contentment and wondered vaguely where his captor was. The silver haired man had begun muttering to himself around halfway through the first week, and Cloud had even caught him struggling against things that weren't there.

'I could run.' He thought briefly before dismissing the idea. He had found himself dreaming of Aerith, and in those dreams, he knew that she was trying to tell him something. What it was, he had no idea, but it seemed as though the deceased healer wanted him to stay put for some reason he couldn't discern. He ran over the possibilities in his head, taking everything into careful consideration. Aerith had never seemed like a vengeful person, but maybe she really did want him to slaughter Sephiroth for her murder. Maybe she wanted him to watch the general destroy himself. 'Or maybe,' he thought dryly 'it's just a dream and I shouldn't read into it.' But something inside told him that these dreams were something more than just that.

'Who the hell knows?' He yawned, blinking sleepily and leaving the hut to look for his captor. Cloud knew that even though the general denied it, he had used healing materia that night two weeks prior. He couldn't fathom Sephiroth and he didn't really want to, especially with the increasingly complex emotions he felt towards the older man. Through all of the hate and fear, the betrayal and pain, a tiny part of him had started to make its self known. This part had protected the other feelings, small though they may be. The foremost of these was desire, not necessarily just for sex either, but for the physical contact that he should have found reviling.

He found the general waist deep in the lake and looking down into the water, his clothes strewn around the bank. At the sound of Cloud's footsteps, Sephiroth's head snapped up and his arms curled around himself, a kind of panic and fear on his features that the blonde had never seen before. "Sir?" The spiky haired man called out tentatively.

The general started whimpering in a sort of sick imitation of a child's voice. "He's going to kill me this time, I know it! I didn't mean to kill it; I just wanted to touch it. It was furry, you know? Really soft. I didn't know that they just stopped breathing like that, did I squeeze it too hard? Is that why it stopped? He is going to kill me… He'll drown me right here." The man in the water pulled on his hair with wide, frightened eyes.

More than a little disturbed, Cloud pressed; "Who is going to kill you?" The general wasn't paying any more attention to him and instead went back to staring at the water. The blonde called a little louder. "Sephiroth?"

Cold, exhausted eyes rose to meet his. "You have started using my name again? How delightful. You must be becoming stealthier, I didn't hear you arrive." The silver haired man spread his arms wide, a sultry smirk on his face as he displayed his naked body to the other. "Care to join me? I'm sure I could find a way to reward you for your progress."

Cloud backed away, biting his lip and shaking his head quickly. "No thank you. I think I'm going to have an early night if it's okay with you." The general's arms dropped with a splash at his sides and the older man gave his wordless consent to the already retreating back of the blonde.

The spiky haired man bit his cheek as he ran back to the hut, trying to erase the image of the very naked, very toned general out of his head. 'This is NOT what I should be focusing on right now, he went completely crazy for a second there and didn't even realize it!' Still, as much as he tried to divert his train of thought and remind himself that he was interested in girls, images of what the general could have done for him if he stayed kept his skin tingling. 'Fuck it.' He thought recklessly, looking out the door to make certain that the silver haired man was nowhere near before sliding a hand into his pants.

It was over quickly, as the mere thought of Sephiroth's hand in the place of his own once more made him grit his teeth so as not to cry out. The memory of the older man's hot breath against his neck was enough to send him into spasms so that when he finally came, it was the general's name on his lips.

He regretted doing it almost instantly and tried to abate the recent memory by cleaning himself and hiding the pants, choosing instead to wear his old ones. He decided that as soon as he had the chance he would take them down to the water and clean them, but until then, he would keep the filthy evidence away from his captor's eye line. Cloud just about jumped out of his skin when he heard the soft footfalls of the general.

Luminescent green eyes looked at him blankly as a few strands of damp hair fell in front of them. The silver haired man raised an eyebrow delicately. "Not as tired as you originally thought?" Cloud tried not to look too guilty as he shrugged, edging away from the general slowly.

"I got cold." Cloud cringed, wishing he had come up with a better excuse as his captor approached him with a smile that would put the Cheshire cat to shame.

"If you were cold," the general began, crouching so that he was at eye level with the blonde. "You should have told me. You know I'll always keep you warm." The spiky haired man sat stock still as those strong arms encircled him before they flinched back. Things like this had become common ever since that night, where Sephiroth would ALMOST do something, then draw back as though he were burned.

Cloud reached up tentatively and grabbed one of the generals retreating arms. He didn't want to care, and he knew that it would only cause him more pain in the end, but the stubborn former Private inside of him still worshipped this man, and consequently worried about him. Those cat like eyes looked at him with surprise and guardedness causing Cloud's mouth to go dry. 'Okay, bad idea, very bad idea, don't ask, just forget it. Not your business, let go of him or bad things will happen. Do NOT ask!'

"Sir, are you alright?" 'Shit.'

Sephiroth's eyes glittered menacingly before he pried his arm away from the blonde's grip. "I'm fine, why do you ask?" the silky voice held a hint of wariness and the general straightened, pacing a little circle around the fire.

'Don't say it.' Cloud's conscious mind begged him, but him mouth had already begun to form the words. "Down at the water, I didn't sneak up on you, you saw me walk up, but you were acting strangely, like a little kid. You said something about killing something and were worried that someone was going to kill you. When I asked you who, you went back to normal. I ask because I found it strange."

He could swear he saw a muscle begin to twitch in Sephiroth's jaw as the older man's face went taut. There was danger there, the silver haired man's breathing had quickened slightly and his pupils had slit. Cloud felt his stomach tense when he saw not only anger, but fear displayed in his captors eyes. "I thought I told you," The general hissed as he leaned forward; "Not to lie to me. What you are proposing is ridiculous." The blonde shifted back slightly, his fingers itching for his sword, but Sephiroth surprised him by pulling back and walking out.

It was late when the silver haired man returned, and though Cloud pretended to be asleep, he watched the general sitting next to the fire and dosed off to the sound of his worried muttering.

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Tifa looked out the window of the Highwind at Vincent's slowly shrinking figure. She knew that they didn't really have time to let him talk to his dead love, but after three weeks of cold trails and more failures, she couldn't see it hurting their cause. She had noticed a little guiltily that the red cloaked man had been openly avoiding Cid, and though she reasoned with herself that it was bound to happen, her conscience had labeled her as the instigator. 'It will be easier this way.' She told herself, pulling away from the window before any more rebellious thoughts could trouble her.

Vincent had pulled his knees to his chest as he looked up at the woman he had held so dear. He was afraid to go too close, afraid that he might somehow disturb the peaceful face that was forever preserved behind the crystalline substance that engulfed her. "I feel lost Lucrecia, I don't know what to do. I know that I must help your son, and that I must have faith that he will follow through with his plan, but it hurts. It hurts more than I had originally thought it would."

The echoes of the woman's soft voice seemed to swirl around him, but he could make no sense of it yet. "It was so much easier before I began talking to them, knowing them. I don't know if I can go through with this." All he could hear was the pain in her voice as she apologized. "It's not your fault, it never was. I think the real problem stems from their pilot." A tiny petal-like laugh met his ears and he looked down at the red cloth covering his knees in shame. "I have feelings for him. I'm not sure when it began, but now they are threatening my loyalty to the cause. I'm sorry…"

The murmurs of a gentle rebuke circled him. He could almost feel her hands stroking his hair, comforting him like she always used to. This place had always felt like a sort of haven, a retreat from the world. His eyes slid closed sleepily and allowed the soft atmosphere to soothe him. "There is no shame… in starting again." He allowed a small, sad smile to grace his lips at the sound of her clear voice, so understanding. But he knew that, despite her loving support, if he was unable to follow through on the plan, more than just his friends would suffer.

His thoughts were broken by another female voice. "Vincent? Sorry to disturb you, it's just that we got another lead and we need you there with us to check it out." The smile faded from his face and he walked past Tifa, refusing to make eye contact with her.

In all of his years alive, Vincent had never quite gotten the hang of riding a chocobo. He had never understood the appeal of riding on a ridiculously fluffy bird that could obviously decide one day that greens just weren't worth it anymore and take off your head with its sharp beak while warbling a cry of victory to its kin. At least it was fast.

The group had split up into two smaller parties, the first consisting of Cid, Barret and Yuffie, and the second with Vincent, Tifa and Red XIII. Cait Sith, still managing his own search using the remainder of the Turks decided to opt out. The two groups agreed to meet back in the fields in front of Midgar and parted ways with Cid casting a long look over his shoulder and Vincent doing his best to ignore the blonde pilot.

The red eyed man gritted his teeth and wished that he had had more time in Lucrecia's cave, had more time to understand what he needed to do. 'No.' He told himself firmly. "I must see this through to the end or everything will fall apart. There is no turning back now, no starting again." And with that final thought, he urged his happily warbling chocobo forward.

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Cloud came in his hand, gasping in both pleasure and shame. It had become a daily ritual when Sephiroth was not around to pleasure himself. 'Even when he's not here I can't escape from him.' The blonde dressed and cleaned up bitterly just before the object of his recently discovered desire walked in. Sephiroth walked in quickly, a certain tightness about his steps and his eyes mildly unfocused.

The blonde man bit his lip and released a string of curses in his head and the strongest man in the world sat beside him and sulked. "Hojo is running more tests on me today." The general murmured softly to Cloud. "The Turks will arrive in a few minutes. I don't know what that man hopes to learn by doing this, but I swear, when I get enough power, I'll make him stop." He looked at Cloud in sudden terror. "You won't tell him I said that, will you? I can only imagine what he'd do…" Sephiroth hunched his shoulders like the adolescent he thought he was and bit his lip, causing Cloud to roll his eyes and ruffle his superior's hair awkwardly. Ever since the general's first episode one week ago, he had begun losing it as often as once every two days, never with any explanation as to why ithad happened or in what stage of life Cloud would discover his superior.

He had stopped bringing it to Sephiroth's attention when the general regained his senses, for it only seemed to put the older man in a foul mood and a state of denial. The silver haired man stiffened slightly as he looked at the door. "They're here. I have to go, but thank you for listening to me." Cloud watched the general walk towards the door before stopping and turning back with his old icy expression, laced with a touch of confusion. His eyes flicked to the blonde, anxiety apparent in them. "Cloud… I was just coming to get you. Grab your sword, we're going to spar."

Training with the general had gotten easier, and was even slowly becoming enjoyable as long as Cloud made himself forget who it was crossing swords with him. Sephiroth seemed impressed with is progress that day and even suggested that they stop early, though Cloud could not be certain if it was for his sake or for the General's. Either way, he was glad of the rest. Between the constant dreams and his shamed desire, he hadn't been getting the kind of sleep he needed to keep up his stamina. He headed back to the hut, not feeling the eyes on his back as he moved away.

His dreams were troubled that night as he found himself once more in front of the water with Aerith's watery gaze on him. Her mouth moved rapidly, and she seemed to become more irate, her fists clenching and unclenching. Despite her effort no sound came from her lips and she seemed to realize this because she began coming closer and closer, stepping out of the water and onto the bank.

Startled, Cloud tried to skitter backwards as she reached for him but his escape attempts were cut short as he thudded against something hard. Looking back, he froze in horror as the dead eyes of Zack looked into his, holding his gaze and daring him to move. The blonde turned back to Aerith and was surprised when he began to hear something soft coming from her mouth. "What?" He strained his ears desperately, trying to pick up what the steadily loudening face was saying. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me! Do you want him dead? Do you want me to run?"

Zack stepped in front of him, beside Aerith and the two grabbed his shoulders. For the first time in these dreams, the volume came back full force as his dead friends screamed. "HELP HIM!"

Cloud sat bolt upright on the floor, panting. He buried his face in his hands and pulled his knees to his chest. "No no no no no…" He looked around for his general but did not see him. This in its self was not uncommon but as Cloud slowly stood, Sephiroth's trench coat slid off of him. "Shit." He picked up the coat, still warm from the heat it supplied and headed for the door. There was only one thing on his mind as he set out into the cold night, and that was the two words that his friends had uttered. He whispered under his breath; "Help him…"

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There were no words to explain Vincent's frustration as he rode with numb thighs back to their meeting place on the seventh day. Numerous complaints were running through their heads such as his growing allergy to chocobo down, the ridiculous amount of riding he was doing when he knew perfectly well where the two men were. These minor complaints could not completely drown out the most painful of the lot, that no matter how much he wished to, he couldn't become close to the pilot. Even so, he missed Cid desperately, their long chats, their friendship…. their kiss.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a sudden jerk on the reins of his chocobo as the bird began to shy from their direction. "Come on, it's not much further… Ninja Puff." He gritted his teeth as he said the ridiculous name Yuffie had given his ride. He had pleaded with her not to, but now the bird would not respond to anything different, so until he could convince it otherwise, his noble steed was 'Ninja Puff'.

The Chocobo stopped where it was and dug its clawed feet into the ground, looking back at him with panic in its large eyes. "Move or I will leave to fend for yourself you silly bird." It began to move forward, shivers running up its fluffy body. Then he heard it. Tifa's scream came from over the hill, ripping through the cold air. His red eyes widened and he leapt off of his chocobo, tearing over the last hill like a whirlwind.

Cockatrice and Death Claws were attacking his friends in a flurry of claws and swipes. A chocobo lay dead a few feet away, though from this distance he couldn't make out to whom it had belonged. He drew his guns, firing and providing the others with a form of cover. Scanning the area, he did a mental role call, distressed to see that neither Barret, nor Cid were in his frame of vision.

A dull thudding sound came from him, and upon turning, relief swept over him as the blonde pilot pulled his lance out of a Cockatrice and glared at Vincent. "The hell are ya thinking, turning your back on a monster like that?! You could've bin' killed!" The ex Turk's smile of relief was so brilliant that Cid's ears went pink and he turned his attention to more pressing matters than the beautiful beaming man before him.

Their heads snapped in the direction of a shrill shriek coming from Yuffie's mouth. Death Claws were closing in on the now unarmed ninja as she lay dazed and sprawled over the grass. The two men pounded towards her and Vincent heard her name tear its way out of his throat. Soft dark eyes opened just in time to see the four advancing creatures sliced to ribbons by both gauntlet and lance.

"Yuffie! Are you alright?" called the ex Turk, moving closely to inspect the wound that a claw had made while Cid bent over them squinting with worry.

"You had us real scared kiddo."

The corners of Yuffie's mouth turned up in a grin and she puffed out her chest. "Are you guys kidding me? Nothing can defeat the great ninja Yuffie! Still," She winced as Vincent rotated her arm slightly. "I wouldn't mind a rest. Can you take over?"

Vincent nodded vaguely, barely registering when Cid told them that Barret was on his way to get the airship. Though they tried to bind the ninja's arm quickly, the smell of her blood had begun to draw more monsters to the site and from what the red eyed man could see, the others were growing more and more fatigued as the battle raged on. He closed his eyes in a single moment of indecision before reopening them and catching Cid's arm. "Get everyone out of here, I am going to transform."

The blue eyes in front of him widened. "Shit… Vin, are you sure? It'll-"

"I know." Vincent snapped "The moment you see me returning to my original form you must get me out of here, but until then you need to keep the others safe. I will be fine." He gritted his teeth, firing his gun at two approaching monsters. He had always hated transforming, hated the powerlessness he felt, how drained it left him, how uncontrollable he was.

Cid's rough hand squeezed his shoulder. "We'll get you out of here, even if I have to kill the whole damn lot of these things to do it. I promise."

"I trust you." Even as the words left his mouth Vincent felt as though he were about to cry with shame and regret, for he knew that he meant it, and that terrified him more than all of the monsters and Sephiroths the world had to offer. Lucrecia's words rolled around in his head, slowly helping him to form a decision. He murmured them aloud as he watched Cid gather the others, watched their faces as they heard the news from Cid, watched them run. A small bitter smile crossed his lips and he sheathed his guns. "There is no shame in starting again."

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Cloud looked everywhere for the General, Aerith and Zack's echoing his ears helphimhelphimhelphim without ceasing. He slipped on Sephiroth's coat to protect himself from the chill that was beginning to settle in his bones. He didn't want to care about this man, he wanted to believe that he was past caring, but he couldn't prevent the fear and urgency that pumped through him as he searched the surrounding woods.

Eventually, frustrated, cold and Sephirothless, Cloud slammed his fist into the wall, hearing a soft chuckle above him. "It is pointless to take out your aggression on a defenseless building, especially the one that we happen to be living in." Looking up, he saw the general peering down at him with a strange warmth on his face that Cloud had not seen in a long time.

Cloud's fists clenched but he did his best not to glare when he asked: "Permission to join you sir?"

Sephiroth offered his hand. "Always, soldier."

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Vincent tore through the hallway, the blood pounding in his ears. 'No. Please no.' was all he could think as he rounded a corner in the airship, all but flying to Cid's room. Barret's metal arm reached out and caught him in the chest, knocking the air out of him.

"Sorry Vincent, no one's allowed in there right now while Tifa's looking him over, got it? You gotta wait out here like the rest of us." The large man gently propelled the ex Turk next to Red XIII and propped him up against the wall.

The red eyed man turned to the beast next to him and dropped down to eye level. "Glad you're awake Vincent, you had us worried there for a little while. Wasn't Yuffie supposed to be watching you?" Yellow eyes looked into his worriedly, but Vincent brushed off the animal's concern with a gentle wave of his hand.

"She was watching me, she told me that Cid was hurt once I regained consciousness and… I suppose that's all I really waited for. Will you tell me what happened?"

Red XIII nodded and cleared his throat. "When you changed back, you blacked out faster than we thought you would so Cid pretty much jumped ship. I don't know exactly how much damage he took, but I think he got bashed over the head a few times. He fought like a man possessed though, it was almost scary to watch. The second he had you back on board, he collapsed and ever since then, he's been in his room with Tifa and a first aid kit." The furry creature looked at him nervously. "No offense Vincent, but in your condition, I don't think you'd be much of a help to Tifa in there or I'd help you get in."

Vincent gave him a curt nod. "I understand. I would be more of a hindrance than a help right now." But even having said that, the wait was excruciating, especially since he already had serious pressure building up behind his eyes. Still, the moment Tifa left the room proclaiming her patient alive and well he shot through the door and shut it quickly behind her. There was a soft rustling of blankets in the centre of the room which Vincent approached quietly. "Cid?" He called softly.

"Vin? That you? Dumb question, 'course it's you."

The ex Turk walked swiftly over to the blonde pilot and took his face gently in one hand, looking over the materia healed wounds. "You shouldn't have done that." Vincent whispered quietly, pressing his forehead softly against Cid's.

"I kept my promise though, didn't I?" A cocky grin formed on the blonde's weary face. "I don't think I could've stopped myself if I wanted to. Those things would've killed you if I hadn't gotten down there when I did. I couldn't lose you Vin. Today, you saved every damn crew member here-"

"And you saved me." Vincent cut him off. "You saved me in the stupidest way possible, by putting yourself at risk. I don't think I could lose you either… I hate having to avoid you, I hate not being around you," His fists clenched. "And I hate that I can't tell you the reason."

Warm, chapped lips were pressed against his and Vincent felt his worries begin to slide away one by one. Hot breath on his lips brought the Chaos holder back to reality, and he could see those blue eyes smiling at him. "Tell you what Vincent, tonight, forget reason. Tonight, just stay here, no obligations, no worries, no nothin'. How does that sound?"

Vincent had a seat next to him on the bed and let loose a small smile. "That sounds… incredible." He removed his shoes and swung his legs onto the bed, feeling both relieved and awkward when warm arms wrapped around him.

"Hey Vin, will you do me a favor?"

"Certainly."

"Promise me that you'll knock it off with this avoiding me thing. It really fucking pisses me off and it's pretty damn obvious that you ain't happy with it either. Can you do that?"

The red eyed man rolled over in Cid's arms to face the pilot, a crease of indecision forming between his eyebrows. One look at that face, still slightly bruised despite the heavy usage of healing materia and he realized that he couldn't refuse. "As you wish then, I do owe it to you as you've already proved that you would put yourself in danger for me."

"Don't agree just because of that shit! Agree because you actually want to hang around me or don't agree at all."

Cid was making this too difficult, too emotional. Vincent couldn't allow himself to get this close to him but the emotion its self hurt almost as much as denying it. "I agree. I promise, but I must ask that you not damage yourself on my behalf."

The pilot grinned and pulled Vincent's lower back closer, making the ex Turk's body press flush against his own. "Vin, I pretty sure you're my favorite damn person in this whole world. I'd die to keep you around, ya know?"

Vincent clenched his teeth in anguish. No. He couldn't let that happen; Cid couldn't and wouldn't die, not if the red eyed man could do anything to prevent it. This man had made him feel more in the last little while than he had in decades. He had given Vincent peace, happiness, worry, fear, desire and bliss. He would not let him die. Cid was his and he was Cid's. It was so simple and so complex, it was love, and it terrified and baffled Vincent but one thought was crystal clear. He wanted the pilot, and he would never allow Sephiroth or anyone else to hurt him. With these thoughts he kissed the blonde man roughly, pressing his hand against the back pilot's head.

The two grappled with one another for control but Cid, being the more experienced of the two was able to overpower the ex Turk's tongue. The pilot began to move but soon hissed in pain and held his bruised ribs. "Vin, I don't think I can do this. I want you, but I don't think I can move."

The red eyed man brushed away as a minor setback and undid his cloak, wadding it up into a ball and tossing it across the room. "You don't need to do anything, tonight, I will do everything necessary, I just need you sitting up."

Cid, with his eyebrows raised and a huge smile on his face eased himself up gingerly, watching as Vincent loosened the clasps on his shirt in what appeared to be a mild frenzy. "C'mere Vin, Let me help." And little by little the ex Turk's pale skin was exposed and his shirt went soaring to meet his cloak. "Holy shit…" the pilot breathed, looking up and down the smooth expanse of skin. A rough, broad hand ran down Vincent's chest slowly and the red eyed man let out a soft noise of pleasure.

"Give me a moment." The black haired man said softly and a few moments later his gauntlet hit the floor with a clang and his newly freed hand trembled slightly.

Cid immediately went for his belts and unbuckled them with surprisingly nimble fingers. "We're really gonna do this huh?" A slender finger pressed against the pilot's lips and when Cid looked up, he saw something he never thought he'd see on Vincent's calm face: want. The ex Turk was running his tongue delicately over his quickly sharpening incisors, the sight both awed and aroused the blonde.

The finger was removed and while Vincent went about the pesky business of removing his pants, Cid eased himself out of boxers that had not seemed quite as restrictive a few minutes prior. Soon, the two were looking at one another with a silent wonder quashing any feelings of shyness that may have otherwise been expressed.

"Do we have anything to…?" The blue eyed man faltered at the end of the sentence, especially when the Chaos holder's head shook slowly. "No lotion? Petroleum jelly? Lube? Nothing?" Again Vincent shook his head, but this time the movements were quicker and he began to advance towards the bed, lips slightly parted.

"Nothing. I don't need anything. Please…" The black haired man raised his hand to cut off any protests. "I need it to be like this." He gave Cid a weak smile when the pilot finally nodded and beckoned him over. Placing his knees on either side of the blonde's hips, he looked into those blue eyes and kissed the man, wincing as he felt his fangs graze Cid's lips. He tasted blood and rolled his tongue over the cuts to apologize. Feeling a finger ghost over his entrance he shook his head and guided the hand away with his own. "Nothing…" he breathed before lowering himself onto the pilot.

A gorgeous pain pierced through Vincent and he let out a cry that was not quite human. Cid tensed beneath him, breathing sharply and struggling not to move, to let the other man adjust. "Fuck." The blonde hissed. "You alright Vincent?" His only response was a low crooning noise and shaking arms encircling him delicately. Soon, the ex Turk lifted himself up slightly before forcing himself back down. Trying this a few more times, the red eyed man let out a small noise of frustration.

"S'wrong?"

"I.. I can't seem to move properly, I'm new at this."

Cid grinned through slightly clenched teeth. "I ain't as weak as you make me out to be Vin." And with that he lifted Vincent by the hips and brought him back down while thrusting up. Instantly, those red eyes rolled upwards as a moan tore from the black haired man's mouth. "Better?" The pilot asked teasingly.

"Nnh! Yes! P..please… again!"

Cid chuckled elatedly and lifted the Chaos holder once more, the pads of his fingers digging into Vincent's soft skin. "Your wish is my command."

The two began setting a quick, even pace with Vincent learning to move his hips in time with the thrusts. Whatever he asked, Cid would provide and soon the pilot hit something inside him that made him scream in pleasure as the room all but disappeared in the throes of pleasure. "Harder!" He begged, aware somewhere in his mind that his nails were raking down Cid's back. The blonde was only too happy to comply, feeding the rapidly growing pressure that was building in the two men's abdomens. One of his hands left its earlier job and wrapped around Vincent's neglected shaft, pumping it in time with the thrusts.

The combination of the two sensations caused the ex Turk to spasm violently as he came, screaming Cid's name. The pilot lasted only a few more thrusts before he, too, succumbed to the waves of bliss. The two stayed like that for a few moments, panting, foreheads pressed together, listening to one another's breathing.

Eventually, Vincent shakily got off of Cid's lap and laid next to him, helping the almost-invalid to lie back down. Their lips touched easily in a sweet kiss and a gentle wave of fatigue rolled over them. Cid wrapped his arms around the red eyed man and held him close, whispering soft words of love and comfort to his lover, none of them very audible or coherent but it made a drowsy smile light up the face of Vincent nonetheless.

"Night Vincent…"

"Goodnight Cid."

"I love you."

Even if Vincent _had_ replied, the blonde pilot wouldn't have heard him for he had been claimed by sleep's gentle caress. The Chaos holder kissed Cid's forehead softly before doing something he hadn't done in years. He cried.

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Sephiroth had pulled Cloud up effortlessly and was giving him a strange sort of smile. The trouble was, now that he was up there, Cloud didn't know what to say other than 'Hey I just had a dream where my best friend and the girl I loved both told me to help you even though they should hate your guts.' And that just didn't seem appropriate.

"Cloud."

The spiky haired man flinched on instinct, something that his superior noticed. The blonde was slightly shaken to see the concern and guilt scrawled clumsily over Sephiroth's face. "My coat… it suits you. When this is all over, you should keep it."

Blue eyes met with green and Cloud felt as though he should run at what he saw. "Sir… Sephiroth, are you-"

"I'm sorry Cloud but I must ask you to let me speak my fill while I am still me." The silver haired man cut across him, looking anxious and for the first time in years, the way he had before all of the insanity with Jenova had begun. "As you know, my mind is slowly deteriorating as days go by, more so than it was I mean." He rubbed his temples gently as a look of pain washed over his face. "There are many things that I must tell you tonight, but none of them seem as important as the near worthless apology I owe you." At this, Cloud felt as though the General could have worn holes through him with the intensity of his gaze.

Feeling his stomach churn, it was all the blonde could do to ask; "Apology, sir?"

Sephiroth's pupils slit and he let out a snarl. "I raped you Cloud! I destroyed you! Broke you in two! Have you forgotten so easily?!" As soon as the anger had appeared, it vanished and was replaced with that pained look. "I… I'm sorry, not only for that, but for bringing you into this idiot plan of mine in the first place. You see, I would have left you alone, but you are the only one I will let do it."

"Do what!?" Cloud snapped, jerking his superior as far away from the apology (and remembering the event) as he could.

"Kill me." The General answered simply. "That is why I need you to hate me. I need enough hate that when the final fight comes there will be no hesitation, no second thoughts, just your sword driving through my heart."

The spiky haired man felt as though all of the air had been knocked out of him. "W..What?"

"If that option doesn't appeal to you, there is always decapitation." Sephiroth said quickly. "I don't particularly mind which way I go so long as you make certain that the job is done properly this time. We wouldn't want me to come back again now would we? This constant onslaught of near death experiences is becoming tedious."

The general was speaking so rapidly and nonchalantly that he didn't seem to notice his own hands shaking, but Cloud did. The blonde reached over tentatively and took one of those hands tightly in his own, wincing only slightly when the appendage jerked violently in his grasp. "Why?" He asked quietly.

"Cloud, please let go. Ever since I hurt you it feels like my heart is being cut into pieces when we make physical contact-"

"I asked a question Sephiroth! Why?"

"Because if I remain alive I will continue destroying that which I once protected! I will once again attempt to annihilate this world and all life on it, all for some insane quest that will supposedly mollify my mother who isn't really my mother! Because I can and will slaughter you if I ever rise to that place of power once more! Now let go of my damn hand!"

And Cloud dropped it, a sort of numbness spreading from his finger tips all the way down to his feet. "You're serious." A sharp nod was his only response. "And it has to be me?" Another nod. "I see. So all of that, hurting Tifa, stabbing Vincent, torturing and raping me, it was all because you want me to kill you? God DAMMIT! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME EARLIER YOU WANTED TO BE KILLED?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO INVOLVE OUTSIDE PEOPLE?! YOU'RE THE MOST SELFISH, STUPID PERSON I'VE EVER MET!" And with that, Cloud made to stand only to have himself dragged back down, this time closer to the object of his rage.

"Cloud I understand that you're angry but I need to tell you more. Please, I do not wish to keep you here by force."

"That hasn't stopped you in the past." Growled the irate blonde, but he resumed his seat.

"Vincent is working for me. He has been ever since I kidnapped you. He was the first to find us in Shinra's basement, but instead of reporting us, he listened to me, to my plan. He agreed to help on the understanding that I would do you no harm. Tonight, he will come to find us only to tell me that he has decided to betray me. In my less than sane state I will most likely damage him, though hopefully not fatally. You look pale, are you alright?"

Cloud glared at him, the contents of his stomach rising and falling in waves. "Of course I'm not fucking alright! You just told me that a friend is part of the reason you've gotten away with this! How am I supposed to believe you?"

"Wait with me tonight, I will make sure that no harm comes to you. That is the only promise I can offer unfortunately, but it is a valid one. You are safe from both Vincent and me." The general's hand stretched out and brushed a few stray hairs out of Clouds eyes, shuddering and holding his head. "It's no good… my consciousness is fading again." He wrapped his arms around his rigid ex subordinate and held him tightly for a moment, burying his face into Cloud's shoulder. "I am sorry… so sorry, for everything, but it has to be you. I need you to promise me that when the time comes for our final fight that you can do it. Can you promise me that?"

Cloud felt the silver haired man's shaking mix with his own body's tremors but almost against his will, his own arms encircled the General's back. "I promise."

He felt a damp spot grow on his shoulder as Sephiroth's shaking increased and wasn't surprised when the General's face rose to look into his once more. "No matter what I may have told you Cloud, I am never gone, this part of me that you see, that you knew, it isn't gone, just buried. I did care and I still do… you were never a tool." Cloud wanted to scream, to cry, to never let go of this twisted man who had destroyed everything including himself. All he could do was watch as the man's face drew nearer, those pale lips slightly parted and he wanted it, God how he wanted it, but before their lips could meet the face in front of him changed. Something cold and cruel slid over its features, the eyes were brighter, pulsing with that incandescent light. "What on earth are you doing?"

Cloud let go of the General almost immediately and backed up. "Nothing Sir. I came to find you to ask if I could wait with you for Vincent."

Sephiroth's face tightened considerably but a vague recollection was apparent in his eyes. "I told you…? Yes… I suppose I must have." He muttered to himself with a vaguely worried expression on his face. "Very well then, it will be… amusing to watch." That poisonous smile was back on his face making Cloud wonder if the hero he knew was truly still inside, or if it was just another memory.

Wellthatsanotherattempteddeadlineshotdownbutatleastspaceisalmostdoneseriouslythoughthishasgottobethelongestchapterspacehaseverwritteningthehistoryofever

Cid had moved slightly in his dreams but Vincent could not bring himself to sleep. Instead, he just watched the other man and absentmindedly stroked his hair. 'He loves me. I have betrayed him and the others and he loves me. This must end tonight. Cid is mine and I will not allow anything to harm him. I love him.'

Silently, the ex Turk slid out from beneath the covers and began pulling on his clothes. The sheets rustled behind him. "Vin? Where're you going?"

He turned, giving Cid a warm smile as he did up his shirt. "I will be back, I promise. In the mean time, get more rest. I imagine you'll need it."

"Answer the damn question."

Vincent felt his smile falter slightly. He went to the chain smoking pilot and kissed him gently. "There is something I must do. I will explain everything when I get back."

"What about afterglow?"

"Cid, I need to go."

"You're not leaving this room until I get some goddamn afterglow! Now get back in bed before I shoot your pretty ass!"

The red eyed man shook his head gently. "I can't, not right now. I promise though, when I return I'm yours… for as long as you want me." He felt his insides curl in on themselves as he spoke those words but Cid finally relented.

"Okay. I'm holding you to that though, y'hear?"

It was all Vincent could do to not break down where he stood. "Of course." 'If you still want me.' He added silently, leaving the room without a sound.

His chocobo waited for him silently while he bought his boat ticket in Costa de Sol. Surprisingly, he was allowed to bring Ninja Puff on board but upon seeing how few people were on the vessel it made sense. The large bird warbled softly and nuzzled his cheek softly with its beak, not minding the rocking of the ferry. He scratched the feathers around its beak and it closed its eyes in happiness. "We may not live through this, you do realize that don't you?"

The chocobo puffed out its feathers as though saying "Not on my watch Vincent, we can do it!" He mounted as they reached the shore and Ninja Puff bolted, unbidden past the miners and through the forest at top speed, reaching the lost city with its fluffy chest heaving.

"Stay here." He murmured, swinging his leg over the bird's back and onto the ground while wincing. The night's exertion hadn't made riding any easier, but somehow, he was glad of the pain. It kept his head clear.

Hearing light voices his first instinct was to hide, but instead he approached, watching as two figures on a rooftop came into view. His heart stopped. Cloud was there. Cloud knew. He tried slinking back into the darkness but Sephiroth's icy voice stopped him in his tracks.

"We were beginning to wonder if you were coming Vincent. What news of your friends?" The ex Turk took a shaky breath at the mocking undertones in the man's voice. "Are we in danger here? Or have you decided not to betray me after all?"

He felt his blood freeze in his veins as a cold sweat began trickling down his neck. "How did you kn-"

"Cloud is not the only one I can slip my consciousness into. It is the pilot, yes? I can smell the sex from here." Those green eyes were glittering like poisonous jewels. Beside the General, Cloud shifted, looking at him incredulously. "Yes Darling, Vincent and that vulgar chain smoker have fallen in love, and tonight, before he came here, they... consummated it." Sephiroth's sneer was evident even in the darkness.

"You are correct in your assumption Sephiroth." Vincent spoke quietly, internally begging his voice not to waver. "I am not here to help you; I am here to tell you that I will no longer assist you in this ridiculous plan. You have had more than enough time to complete it and yet you continue to enslave Cloud."

"Will you attempt to take him from me?" The General's words were icy enough that for a moment, Vincent thought he could see his own breath.

After a beat, the red eyed man replied: "No. If Cloud had wanted to come with me, he would be next to me right now, and I won't force him to do anything, you've done enough of that. However, once I return to the airship, I will be leading them straight here so if you're going to relocate, I suggest you do it. This is the last time that I will help. I am truly sorry…"

"Whatever for? It is apparent to me that you were fairly useless from the st-"

"I was apologizing to Cloud." He looked up at the blonde boy on the roof before lowering his head. "I honestly thought that this was the best course of action at the time, but the fact that you know tells me that I have left this unchecked for too long. He has hurt you, yes?"

Cloud shifted before jumping down. "You could say that. He raped me… but judging by the look on your face you had no idea what was really going on. Listen… I don't hold any of this against you personally. I mean, you did what you thought you had to, right? I think I would have done the same thing, and I'll see this through to the end so you don't have to. Can you tell Tifa and the others that I'll be back soon?" He offered Vincent a half smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "Tell them that I'm okay, they'll need to hear that."

Vincent bowed his head slightly. "Of course. I hope to see you fairly shortly." He turned to leave but was called back by Cloud's voice.

"You and Cid, huh? That's surprising, but congratulations." Now the blonde man truly was smiling and he held out his hand. With embarrassment tinged cheeks Vincent offered a smile of his own before reaching out to accept the hand.

Neither of them expected the Masamune to stick through Vincent's stomach. For a split second, he had to look down at himself to confirm that blood was indeed beginning to spurt out of him. Then came the pain. It ripped through his body faster than the sword had but screaming seemed beyond his capability as he only seemed able to expel blood from his mouth. There was a roaring noise in his ears behind which he could vaguely hear Cloud calling out to him, looking horrified.

Sephiroth wrenched the blade from his body, causing Vincent to stagger slightly. He felt Chaos throw its self around, scrabbling to take control. When the silver haired man made a wide arc with his sword, attempting to cut the ex Turk in two, it almost won. Almost.

Cloud stepped in the way, screaming for his captor to stop, and wonder of wonders, he did. The sword stopped inches away from their bodies, leaving the bearer's face looking pained and mildly confused. "Vincent, get out of here, I'll make sure that Sephiroth won't follow… hurry!"

Holding his entrails in, Vincent ran, a sort of detached fear fixed inside his head and it took all he had to keep it from crushing him. When he crashed into something warm the Chaos holder thought it was all over and his thoughts flew to Cid, probably still waiting in that warm bed for a dying traitor that probably wouldn't make it back alive. The Chaos holder closed his eyes only to have a large beak pushed against his face.

"Waarrrrk?"

Vincent opened his eyes, looking into the inquisitive, large ones of his chocobo. He took his hands away from his stomach to caress its fluffy head and it bent its thin legs, allowing him to mount without spraying copious amounts of blood everywhere. "Do you think we can make it?" He asked gently. The bird seemed offended that he would ask and immediately took off towards the ferry. Vincent didn't bother dismounting as they boarded the ferry. Still, his blood was starting to make those canary yellow feathers sticky and matted. He felt the boat dock, felt his bird moving more slowly. Taking him back to the airship. And then he knew nothing.

The Chaos holder woke up to someone gently running a cold cloth over his face. Opening his eyes he saw a worry stricken Cid leaning over him. Softly his whispered the pilot's name and lifted his hand to touch the man's face.

Immediately, the hand was clasped by Cid's and the chain smoking blonde began dry sobbing hoarsely. "God fucking Dammit Vincent! What the hell were you thinking?! We thought you were gonna die! You idiot! You FUCKING IDIOT!" The pilot lay against Vincent gently, holding him as though he thought he would vanish. "Don't you EVER do that ag-"

"Cid… Please gather the others… I have something to tell you."

--

End of chapter 6. Finally. I am not dead and I am so sorry that my time estimation was so off. Unfortunately, I don't have any excuses that you haven't heard so I'll just apologize until my throat bleeds. In hindsight, I probably should have turned this into two smaller chapters, but then I thought I'd kept you waiting long enough and released it without the chop job it probably needs. The next chapter will probably be the last but I don't think it will be as long as this one.

To my lovely reviewers:

kellegirl: First review of the chapter! I'm glad that you feel so strongly about the characters.

cloudstrifejen: I agree, Cloud would make a ridiculously lovely porcelain doll!

demonlifehealer: Technically, it wasn't ME who raped Cloud. It was Sephiroth. Stick around to see how it will pan out. ;)

whiteinu1: I intend to!

Black Materia: D'awww, that made my day. Thanks so much!

Kags21: I'm glad you're enjoying it!

amberblood: I hope you continue to find quotes that you enjoy. Hee Hee!

Deathcas: I hope this chapter answers your question and I ESPECIALLY hope you keep reading.

KageMori: Chapter out soon…. Yyyyeahhh, about that… I hope to update sooner in the future?

yaoi-midnight-mistress: Adding adding adding! I'll do my best to work faster!

oztan: We shall see we shall see!

Thanks so much for sticking with me everyone! I love you all. Please continue to read, review, and most importantly, enjoy! Now I ride the llama of perseverance to the next chapter, onward!


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this.

Little Bird Chapter 7

After Vincent left, Cid had considered staying in bed but after only five minutes he got bored and stood, pulling on some loose jeans and a faded blue T-shirt. Fumbling with the pocket of a previous pair of pants, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, smiling. He felt so joyful that, were it not for his now aggravated injuries he would have started dancing. As it was, his smile was about to rend his face in two and he couldn't help the laugh that exploded out of him. Looking at the smoke rising from his cigarette, he stubbed it out and waved away the toxic smog it had produced, no longer feeling like a smoke.

"Barret!" He yelled, pounding on his friend's door a few minutes later. The man emerged, his hand already transformed into a gun, irritation evident in his face.

"Give me one good reason not to shoot you, Asshole!"

"I got laid!" He pushed past the now stunned Barret and sat on a chair inside the room. Dazedly, the bear like man shut the door behind him and sat on the bed, an exhausted sigh coming from him.

"So you and Vincent finally fucked, huh?"

"Yes!"

"And now you're gonna tell me about it."

"Damn right!"

"At two in the fucking morning."

"Is it that late? Shit, I feel great! Happy I mean. I can't even remember the last time I was this fuckin' happy. I want to sing!" He laughed harder at the pained look on Barret's face, slapping his own thigh. "I ain't really gonna sing. Fuck, the look on your face was priceless!"

"I'll bet." Barret said flatly. "So this means things are cool between you and him? No more of this maybe, maybe not shit? The rest of the ship'll be glad to hear that."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I love him."

"Ya don't say."

"I do!" Crowed Cid, intentionally missing the sarcasm in his friend's voice. "Body and soul man, I'm tellin' ya, it feels great! I'm not even cravin' my cigs!"

The two men sat there for a while, with Cid talking animatedly until eventually the bear like man put his head in his hands and groaned loudly. "What's the matter? You said I could talk to you, yeah? You only have to pretend to listen!"

"It's not that, even if you do sound like a teenage girl." Came the man's muffled voice. "I just realized that now I owe Yuffie two hundred gil." At Cid's prolonged chuckle, he looked up at the blonde, realizing that in the end, it was worth it to see him happy. His own face split into a grin. "Seriously though, congrats man. I'm happy for you. Am I allowed to sleep now?"

"Yeah, thanks for putting up with me." He stood and stretched, looking at the clock and wincing slightly. "Tifa'll have our asses on a plate if we're tired tomorrow."

"Uh huh. Hey, I was wondering, was Vincent really okay with you ditching him to come talk to me after sex?"

"He left for a bit, said there was something he had to do."

"Scrub the image of your naked ass out of his mind probably." Barret teased, having a laugh of his own as he was punched in the arm. "Anyway, I'm gonna go back to bed. You should too, unless you're gonna wait for him?"

Cid thought for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I think I will wait. See ya tomorrow." The bear like man grunted in acknowledgement as the blonde shut the door. He walked into the cockpit for a moment, making certain everything was alright before glancing out the window. He did a double take. A Chocobo was approaching at a trot with someone slumped over its back. A red cloaked someone. "Vincent…"

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Sephiroth had watched Vincent get away, had been unable to follow as Cloud had instantly thrown himself into the General, knocking him backwards. Even now that he had stopped struggling underneath the blonde, he was not allowed up and he could hear that soft breathing in his ear. He could not fathom why he didn't just throw the boy off or impale him when he saw Cloud approaching. He tried to force his body to knee the blonde in the crotch but it didn't seem to be obeying him. "Am I allowed to stand yet? Or will you continue this unusual display of… affection?"

The breath beside his ear sped up, the body on top of his tensing slightly. "Promise you won't go after Vincent, and that you'll answer some questions for me."

Now he desperately wanted to hurt the blue eyed man but once again his body betrayed him. "Very well, but you must agree to answer a few of mine as well." Cloud moved and for the first time in weeks Sephiroth felt a small sense of loss at the lost physical contact. What surprised him more was that while Cloud was on him, he hadn't felt that pain that he was now so accustomed to. The general sat up and stretched, watching Cloud fidget. "What is your first question?"

"The things that have been happening these past few weeks, the ones you say you don't remember, I think… no, I know you do and I want you to tell me what's going on. Is it MPD?"

The general's eyebrows rose slightly. "MPD?"

"Multiple Personality Disorder."

A dark chuckle rose in Sephiroth's throat and he flicked his hair off of his face. "No. Though if it were I would not remember. The problem seems to be that I am remembering too much, I am beginning to exist solely in my memories… with the addition of you. No matter where I am in my memories, you are always there to… to pull me back out. A person that no one else in my thoughts can see." He had caught himself before he could say "to comfort me." He was not weak and he refused to show his captive any wavering in his cold exterior.

"At any rate, it is my turn to question you. How did you know about Vincent?"

Cloud shrugged with one shoulder. "You told me, you just don't remember. It was on the roof, and after that you said that I could wait with you."

"Did I? But I am always aware of what happens in my memories…"

"My turn." Cloud cut over him quickly, not wanting the General to examine his own consciousness too closely. "Who did you think was going to kill you?"

"What?"

"The first time I saw you in one of your…uh… memories, you said that someone was going to kill you. I want to know who."

The subtle tightening of the silver haired man's jaw was not missed by the blonde, nor was the slitting of the pupils. "Hojo…" The older man hissed. "He controlled my life completely as a child and the first time he allowed me outside, out of his sight, I caught and killed a rabbit. I had not intended to damage the creature, but at that time I did not realize how… fragile life is." An icy smile crawled over his face and settled there. "The man terrorized me when I was young and that day was no exception. Upon seeing the destruction I had wrought he was pleased, but was less so when he saw my remorse. Later that day I was instructed to kill seven more rabbits, and a few other creatures." Something twitched in Sephiroth's face and he caught himself before he could babble any further, instead finishing with his own question. "You know about Vincent, now you must tell me what else you know, but as you do, I suggest we pack."

Cloud nodded and ducked inside the hut. "I know about your plan. I know that you want me to kill you and that you're using my hate to make it possible. What you might not know is that I agreed to it. I promised you that I would kill you, though why I can't just do it now without having to do all of this training first is weird." Cloud reached for a package of rations only to have his hands swatted away.

"No food, I will catch food when we get there. Grab blankets and only your warmest clothes, are we clear?" Upon seeing Cloud's confused expression he repeated the command, aching to strike the young man but seemingly unable to. It was unsettling that his body was betraying him in this way but under no circumstances would he allow his captive to find out. To take his mind off of his own anxiety, he once again dove into conversation. "Where we are going, it will be too cold for you to be without warm clothes, and I wouldn't want you to catch a chill. As to why you cannot simply kill me where I stand now… I would like you to try." He wrapped up a few clothes into tiny bundles along with a few canteens of water, grabbing the blunt edge of Cloud's sword as the mighty weapon swung towards his head.

"Well obviously it's not going to work if you won't LET me kill you!" Ground out the frustrated blonde, placing the buster sword on his back and folding his arms.

"I cannot help but fight to stay alive. It has been ingrained in my head since I was conceived to be an indestructible force of science that would withstand the force of an army. It is an instinct. You must wear me down in battle before you kill me." He chuckled darkly, his eyes glowing brighter for a moment. "I wish you the best of luck, because if I don't die, you will. Remember that." He looked at the young man staring at the ground and felt a kind of sadness twine up his chest and attempt to choke him. Fighting it off he asked softly: "Do you have anymore questions?"

Cloud lowered his head slowly, looking up to stare into those piercing eyes. "Only one more that I can think of, but I also have a request." He inwardly cringed when he saw the irritation and desire to do harm written all over his captor's face. Still, he trusted that –his- Sephiroth would keep his word and prevent any physical damage that may come his way. Tentatively, the blonde went on. "Could we stay just until the others arrive? I'd like them to be able to see me and see that Vincent isn't lying… I'd like them to know that I'm still alive."

The pain and fury that flashed over Sephiroth's face was enough to make Cloud flinch. A snarl rippled from the General's mouth as his pupils formed tiny slits. The older man made as though to strike cloud but his hand dropped at his side and instead he spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "No. We agreed not to involve outside people."

"But-"

For a moment, the blonde thought that Sephiroth's control had snapped when the man jerked him against that strong chest but instead of maiming him, the General simply held him possessively, running his hands jerkily through the blonde's hair. "You are mine, they can't have you, I won't let them because you are the only thing I have that is still real and I refuse to lose that! I refuse!"

Then just like that, the emotions on his face settled into one of frustration as he let go, eyes unfocussed and looking off to the left. "The war in Wutai is already damaging so many lives, why do they need me? Shinra corp. obviously has things under control, but of course, the genius Hojo must test out the great Sephiroth. Damnit." He fixed Cloud with a panicked expression and took him by the shoulders. "I'm not ready for this! I'm not ready for war! Everyone says that I'm too young! I don't know what to do…"

Cloud let out a long sigh and pulled the young memory close to him, hoping against hope that perhaps this would buy him the time he needed.

Thisisoneofspace'smostanticipatedmomentsandshehasmusicsetasideandeverythingshehasbothbeenlookingforwardtoanddreadthismomentletsseehowitgoes

Cid sat beside Vincent's barely conscious form as the others piled in. He kept his lance on the floor beside him in case whatever attacked Vincent had followed him back to the airship. He knew that he must look a wreck with red swollen eyes and haggard lines over his tired face.

When they had brought the ex Turk in, Cid had insisted that his room was the only place that would be suitable for their new invalid. He had paced back and forth, refusing to leave the room for the entire healing process. It had been exceeding difficult because not only had whatever-it-was gone through his stomach, it had also caused him to lose copious amounts of blood. Still, with the combined efforts of materia and will power, Vincent had scraped by with his life, and Cid couldn't ask for anything more than that.

The party sat in a circular formation around the bed, fidgeting while they waited for the red eyed man to begin. "All of you… I need you to promise that no matter what, you will believe me." After receiving a few perplexed nods of conformation, he found himself faltering, having to swallow dryly before opening his mouth. 'Now or never. Forgive me Lucrecia…' "For the past several months I have been working for Sephiroth and helping him in his kidnapping of Cloud."

An enraged snarl tore its self from Tifa's throat as she threw herself across the room with a crazed gleam in her eye. Her balled fists had almost reached Vincent's face when the butt of Cid's lance lodged into her stomach. The ex Turk's eyes went wide as Tifa was caught mid screech coughing up saliva before being shoved backwards by the same lance.

Everyone's head's swiveled to face the wielder of the weapon only to see Cid stick it out horizontally between Vincent and the rest of the room. At the deadened look in the pilot's eyes, Vincent felt all of the guilt and regret clog his throat in one lump. "Cid…"

"Keep talking. I'm gonna listen to this shit until the fucking end. Hey Barret, toss me a goddamned cig would ya?" When the bear like man wordlessly obliged, he lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply before speaking again. "Now that we're all fucking calm, we can finish listening to his goddamn story. So keep going… _Vin_."

The way that the nickname was spat out made the Chaos holder flinch. He wanted to curl up into the tightest ball he could and die right there. Instead he looked imploringly at the man who was still doggedly defending him. "Cid please-"

"FINISH YOUR FUCKING STORY! JUSTIFY YOURSELF!" The magnitude of the pilot's rage filled the small room, echoing off of the walls and coming back like a slap in the face. The others seemed mostly focused on the chain smoker's anger but their attention quickly snapped back to Vincent as he began murmuring miserably.

"I.. I don't quite know where to begin…"

"Why don't ya start at the fucking beginning?" Cid's voice had become poisonously soft. "You know, the part where you decided to choose good old fucking Sephiroth over us." Vincent was glad that he wasn't bearing the force of the pilot's stare, for he was certain that if he did he would burst into flame. Still, as he began his story, he continued to glance at his stony faced lover in hopes of seeing some sort of forgiveness there.

He told them about how he had first found Sephiroth and Cloud in the base of Shinra manner, how, just before he alerted the others Sephiroth covered his mouth, ignoring the gun Vincent pushed in his face. He told them about how the silver haired man had pleaded with him, begged Vincent to hear him out. "I have never seen Sephiroth as clear headed as he was that day, it was as though for a few moments, he regained all of his sanity."

"What did he say?" Yuffie asked, ignoring the hateful glare that Tifa sent in her direction.

Vincent paused for a moment, glad that at least the young ninja looked inquisitive rather than accusatory. After a slight spell of dizziness he answered her. "He wants Cloud to kill him, but in order to do so, he must train him to hate, to fight and kill without hesitation. He says that Cloud is the only one capable of doing this, because he is the only one who's strength rivals Sephiroth's. He asked me to give him enough time to have Cloud bring about his demise. I agreed on the condition that Cloud should remain unhurt, but tonight I found out that this condition was not met. I would have brought Cloud back ages ago had I realized what was going on."

"Then why didn't you this time!?" Tifa bit out, moving as though to attack him again. "Where the hell is he!?" She stopped short of the lance and remained there, shaking in fury.

The red eyed man looked at her as calmly as he could muster, wishing that the pain in his head would stop. He briefly brought his fingers up to his temples before answering. "He was in the city of the ancients, but whether or not he is still there… " he broke off at the hopeless expression plastered to everyone's face and hung his head.

"Dammit… DAMMIT!" Tifa stormed to the door and wrenched it open, motioning for the others to follow her.

"I… I have a message from Cloud." At the sound of Vincent's weak voice they paused. "He says, 'I'll be back soon, I'm alright.' He said that you would all need to hear that…" Tifa's hand clenched on the door frame and the others quickly went to her side.

When Cid began to rise she snapped "Not you. We need someone to watch this traitor, and I'm sure you have a lot to talk about." Without looking at the pilot's stunned face she strode out, the others hot on her heels with apologetic faces.

"Cid-"

"Shut up Vincent! You got no idea how much I wanna kill you right now!"

Vincent flinched, a woozy, sick feeling washing over him. "Perhaps you should." He managed. The lance fell heavily against his thighs as Cid began yelling, but Vincent had no energy left to feel or hear him as he slipped beneath consciousness.

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When Sephiroth regained his composure he was not pleased to find that though all of the packing had been completed, Cloud was still sitting, waiting for his comrades.

"Exactly what do you think you are doing?"

The young man didn't turn but remained facing outwards. "I'm doing what you told me I could. Waiting until my friends arrive so that I can show them I'm okay while telling them that I won't be returning for a little while. You said you remember what happens in your memories, so you should remember giving your consent." It was evident that the blonde was fighting to keep the smile out of his voice.

A vein twitched in the Generals temple for he could not deny that in his weakened state of mind he had done just that. 'He is more… manipulative than I thought.' On any other occasion he might have been impressed but this seemed to be the most inappropriate time to display these seldom shown traits. "So I did." Sephiroth stood beside Cloud, sensing a faint presence drawing nearer. "However, when they come I want you to tell them that you belong to me." He felt his lips twitch in a slight smile as Cloud's face snapped around to look at him with wide eyes

"What? I.. no! I can't do that!" He stood, glaring at his captor who seemed wholly uninterested in the expression he was getting. "Sephiroth, please… they've been looking for me… this just seems cruel."

"You'll do it or we'll leave this moment. Do you think that they will see this as a betrayal? How amusing. But the time has come for you to make your decision Cloud, so what will it be?"

Before Cloud had a chance to answer, his friends burst out from the foliage with Tifa in the lead. "Cloud!" She attempted to jump up at him but was simply thrown back down by the flat of Sephiroth's sword. Still she reached up to him, screaming for the others to hold their attacks lest they hurt him. "Come on!" She pleaded "What are you waiting for?! Jump down, we'll cover you!"

There was a long pause in which the very wildlife seemed to hold its breath before Cloud said. "I can't." He lifted the pack high on his back and did the same with his sword. "Vincent has probably already told you the reason, and please;" he held up his hand to stop any protests from his would be rescuers. "Don't say that it's a stupid reason. I've already made the promise." Cloud moved closer to the silver haired man who in turn stretched out his arms toward the blonde. "I belong to him now."

"What the fuck are you talking about Cloud?!" roared Barret. One of his hands was on Yuffie's shoulder as she struggled to run to the object of their search, but whether it was to save him or harm him at this point, he didn't know. He himself wanted to riddle the two figures on the roof with bullets and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep that impulse in check.

"I'm sorry guys… But this has to be done. I'll come back eventually, but until then, please don't look for me anymore." Cloud didn't look at Tifa, but he still knew that she was crying. Sephiroth's arm snaked around his waist and pulled him close.

"It is high time we left." The General's deep voice came above him. Though he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, his words were directed only at Cloud.

"Wait!" The blonde flinched at how broken Tifa sounded. "He killed Aerith! What do you think she'd say?!"

Cloud finally allowed his eyes to rest on her tear stained face. He felt Sephiroth's body tense as they began to rise into the air. "I know what she'd say, I already heard her say it. 'Help him.'" And with that, the two figures shot through the sky, leaving the only people left alive who still cared for him behind.

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Cid stayed with Vincent, face completely devoid of emotion and several used cigarettes littering the floor around his feet. He watched the still face of the dark haired man and ran a hand over his own haggardly. For the moment, the pilot could feel nothing and he was glad of it, but could sense that there was a very fine barrier between him and his emotions that any Vincent related thoughts seemed to shake. He pressed two fingers firmly against the traitor's neck, making certain that the man's faint pulse was still there before ghosting the digits across his deathly pale cheek. He recoiled as his barrier received a crack and something painful slipped through. "Shit…" he mumbled before lighting another cigarette.

He was almost relieved when he heard the others enter the hallway in flurries of mixed emotion and noise. Anything for a distraction. The chain smoker poked his head out the door only to withdraw it again to avoid any possible collision with Tifa's fists. She yanked open the door, cheeks flushed and eyes filled with a kind of fury Cid hadn't seen in a long time.

The woman launched herself at his unconscious charge, hauling the limp body into an upright position. "WHERE IS HE!? WAKE UP YOU BASTARD AND TELL ME WHERE CLOUD IS OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Cid couldn't move, couldn't make a sound as she shook Vincent's body. He gave no reaction to the people who poured in, jerking her off of the man and out of the room, still screaming. Snapping out of his trance, he grabbed Red XIII's tail as the creature was about to leave the room, causing yellow eyes to look back at him reproachfully. "You didn't find him?"

Nanaki's tail twitched out of his hands as the beast let out a long sigh. "Oh we found him alright. I'm not sure who they're angrier with now, Vincent or Cloud."

"What are you talkin' about Red?"

"When we found Cloud he essentially told us the same thing as Vincent, along with other things we didn't want to hear. He said he belongs to Sephiroth and asks that we stop looking for him."

The blonde's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're shitting me… where are they now?"

Red XIII shook his furry head sadly. "We don't know, he just held onto Sephiroth and they flew away. Do you want me to take a turn watching Vincent?" He stretched slightly as Cid flicked his hand dismissively.

"No need, I'll keep up watch for now. He system prolly got a bit of a shock from Tifa. That was crazy. This whole thing is Goddamn crazy… Besides her freakin' out right there, how's she taking it?"

"Not well at all." Red XIII's head drooped sadly. "I think that we should just leave Cloud alone until he comes back to us on his own, but she seems dead set on finding him and forcing him to return. I think it hit her pretty hard that he wouldn't rejoin us. She really put her whole being into finding him. I think… I think that for whatever reason Cloud acted, he acted unkindly."

"Ya don't say." The pilot took a final drag on his cigarette before flicking it to the floor and grinding it out with his shoe.

The two stood in an awkward silence before the non human one finally left. The blonde took his seat beside Vincent and rearranged the man so that he wouldn't wake up with any kinks. It almost killed him to touch the ex Turk. The barrier shook violently and developed several cracks as the smooth face below him contorted briefly in pain.

"I can't." Cid's voice sounded as though it had holes worn in it. "I can't do this. It just hurts too fuckin' much." Vincent stirred and he was out the door in a flash. "I changed my mind! Someone else take a goddamn turn!" he bellowed, shoving passed Yuffie on his way through the halls and sending his pilot on a temporary leave of absence.

He ran his hands over the control panel of the airship, relaxing slightly as he felt the sturdy machinery under his gloved hands. It felt good to be able to control something in his life again. "What shitty luck. Next thing you know Rufus Shinra'll still be alive."

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The flight from the city of the ancients had been a silent one as both men struggled with their inner thoughts. The further they flew the colder it got, eventually causing Sephiroth to land long enough to wrap Cloud in a blanket before continuing on. "Why do you still care?" The blonde asked as they set up camp that afternoon. "You could just ignore me and I'd still be fit for killing you."

The General glanced at him briefly before stoking the fire. "I am not certain, perhaps I feel that by being a human, you are far more susceptible to any illness that may come our way. Tell me, will all of our future conversations require a Q and A?"

Cloud shook his head gently and sat near the fire with his knees pulled firmly against his chest. "It's getting colder though so I guess that means we're even further north now huh? I'm not all that great with directions but I'll just go ahead and assume that we're headed for the mountains."

"Assume away."

"We aren't?"

"I didn't say that."

The silver haired man looked pained for a moment before his pupils slit and dilated quickly. Cloud felt a pang of sadness as he watched his former hero carry on a battle inside of himself and reached out tentatively to touch the General's shoulder. When the man pulled away to give him a sharp look, the blonde could only stare at his knees.

"Just wondering if you were alright." He mumbled.

Green eyes closed and the stony expression faded to one of amused fatigue. "You remind me so much of Zack sometimes, it's no wonder you thought you were him."

Cloud's head snapped up angrily. "That isn't- it wasn't like-"

"The North Crater."

There was a pause, then; "What?"

"Our final destination is the North Crater, where all of this frivolity should have ended ages ago."

The blonde let out a tiny "Oh…" Before his Captor's eyes drooped with weariness.

"We will continue on this evening. I trust that you will keep our promise while I rest. If you happen to have the excess energy, use it to train. Wake me…" his mouth stretched in a wide yawn and he began to sway where he sat, eyes unfocussed. "Wake me when night falls…" With those final words Sephiroth slumped forward, Cloud barely managing to catch him before he fell in the fire.

'I should have let him burn to death.' He thought. 'It would have saved me a lot of effort. Still… the Sephiroth I know, the one who's still inside this body… He'll die too. No. This has to be done. He raped me, he almost killed Vincent. He DID kill Aerith. Mom. My village. So why am I hesitating? Damnit, I need guidance, help, anything!' He looked down at the man in his arms, mortified to find himself becoming aroused at the sleeping figure. "Oh come on!" He hissed under his breath.

A warm wind smelling of musk and sand blew gently around him before a voice replied "You're telling me."

Cloud's eyes widened as he stared down at the silver haired man's face, but it remained still with slumber. "Over here!" The blonde scanned the trees, eyes finally coming to rest on the source of the noise. "Z..Zack?"

White teeth flashed in a grin. "The one and only." The transparent man stepped closer to Cloud, peering down at him intently. "Damn you're pale; you look like you've seen a ghost!" Zack chuckled a little at his own joke before his face became serious. "Fate sure has dealt you a shitty hand man… still, I can see you're making the best of it." The dark haired man waggled his eyebrows suggestively but pulled back sharply when Cloud reached out to touch him. "Probably not the best idea Cloud. I can't guarantee the results and I'm already betting that Aerith is going to be pretty pissed when she finds out that I made contact while she was away." The intangible man squatted down beside the blond and smile absentmindedly at the shocked face next to him.

"How…?" Cloud began weakly, tugging the general's dead weight closer.

"You shouldn't stay in one place very long out here. You're getting really cold. Do some squats or something, like, grab Sephiroth and keep walking. Stay warm or soon I'll seem even more solid. You've got questions, and if you like, while we walk I can give you answers."

"Still haven't really answered my first one." The blonde muttered.

"Yes I did! Sort of… You shouldn't be seeing me right now, not for a long while actually, but you're up north, the wind is picking up and is bringing a blizzard with it and your body temperature is dropping faster than your erection did. Heh. I guess nothing kills a boner like a dead friend, huh?" Zack's smile faded as he realized the tangent he was starting on. "You get what I mean though, right?" he asked urgently.

"I think so." Cloud mumbled through rapidly numbing lips as he gathered up the provisions with the sleeping man. "I'm dying?" He stood up, looking at his friend for confirmation.

"Well, uh, no. Not really. You're in kind of a danger zone though, don't you think? Right now, you're a lot more susceptible to anything that might come your way"

"Okay… hey Zack?" The began to walk.

"Mm?"

"I… I do have a question."

"Shoot."

"Why is Sephiroth so sure that I'll kill him? I mean, I know I will, but I also thought I'd killed him last time. What if I can't get together that hate that he needs?"

At this point Zack bit his lip. "Why don't you ask Sephiroth?" There was a pause and then his eyes widened comically. "Waitaminnit! You-"

"No! I-I don't know! My head's all fucked up! Just answer the fucking question!" Cloud sneezed and squinted. He saw a cave that would potentially protect himself and the General from the snow. "Well?!" He snapped at Zack.

"Cloud, I don't really know how to say this in a nice way… No matter how you feel about Sephiroth, you'll still kill him. He's made sure of it." At his friend's questioning glance Zack continued uncomfortably. "He did something to your head when you two were flying to Costa de Sol, kind of attached himself to your emotions. Actually more like just a specific one."

"Is he the reason I feel so strange all of the time?" For the first time Cloud felt relief at having been controlled because it meant that none of his thoughts of desire could be real.

The blonde's rejoicing was cut short when Zack cut in once more. "No. what you feel in that area is all you. Sephiroth attached a strand of consciousness to your hate, and if you falter even once he intends to fill your entire being with it." Snow had begun to fall, softly at first, and then more heavily as the wind picked up.

"So I'll end up killing him either way?"

"You don't sound too thrilled about that."

"And you don't seem too concerned about me hesitating." Cloud shot back.

Zack started laughing. "Cloud, I'm dead. What have I got to be worried about? In the end we all go to the lifestream anyway and you know what? It feels good." Zack's eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. "It's like all of the petty things in life that seemed so important at the time don't matter. Use your life to work on the big things. Don't get me wrong," He held up his hands in defense against the irritated blonde's glare. "I don't mean complicated. Not everything is as crazy as you make it out to be. I think that most if not all of the big things are simple. Deep down you know them. Now," The transparent man clapped his hands once, smiling that carefree smile of his. "Get in that cave and I'll answer one more question before I fade out. Make it count."

Cloud stepped inside and set the silver haired man down out of the wind. It was fairly obvious that the cave had been used in as shelter for many people over the years judging by the old but still usable firewood and some broken mountaineer equipment inside. He set up a fire and rubbed his hands together, slowly forming his question. Eventually he looked at his friend's expectant face and asked softly: "Am I going to die here?" He brushed a silver strand of hair away from Sephiroth's sleeping face and laid the blanket on him.

Zack seemed to recoil from the question, nose wrinkling unpleasantly. "Oh jeez Cloud, I can't answer that, mainly because I don't know. Nothing is set in stone future-wise and even if I did know one hundred percent do you think I'd be allowed to tell you?"

Cloud shook his head slowly. "Guess not. Still, could you tell me how it looks?"

"If you keep seeing us, then I'd say pretty bad." Came a female voice from behind him. The scent of church flowers filled his nose as he turned to see Aerith's smiling face.

"Aerith…"

"Oh Cloud, get close to the fire, you're going to get sick."

He reached out to touch her but she moved passed his hand and stood beside Zack. "Please help Sephiroth, I know you've done so much already but for just a little while longer, help him." She curled Zack's fingers in her own and turned to the mouth of the cave.

Frustrated, Cloud yelled back. "How?! How the hell do I help someone like him?! Is killing him really the only way?"

Aerith simply tilted her head back to smile at him and said "We love you Cloud, remember that, but also remember that there are those still alive who also love you. Rough times are ahead, and so just for tonight, I'm giving you a thankyou gift for all your hard work. Enjoy it, because after tonight it may not come again for a while. Stay strong."

Zack flashed him a grin. "Don't come see us too soon okay? And remember what I said: None of the big important things are ever really complicated. Things'll work out in the end; they always do." And with that, the fading couple stepped into the blizzard and were gone, leaving nothing but the scent of flowers and musk.

"They're gone again. How stupid." A sad smile pulled over his face. "There are no easy answers." Cloud heard his captor stirring but couldn't find any righteous anger to dispense with the new information he had. Instead he only felt mild exasperation and couldn't help but wonder if that was the gift Aerith spoke of.

Only when he went to tend the fire did he hear the gentle, clear voice of the Sephiroth he knew. "Cloud? What on earth are you doing? You look like you're about to freeze to death. Come over here." Looking over, the blonde was able to make out the slight shimmer of sanity that seemed to stretch forth from the other man's eyes like an unsteady warmth. He had opened his arms invitingly under the blanket and for once Cloud felt no shame in going directly to them and lying down, falling asleep to the other man's heartbeat. His final thought before drifting off was the knowledge of the gift his friends had given him. Inner peace. 'Thanks for tonight guys.'

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Yuffie chewed her lower lip nervously; peering down at Vincent's sleeping face. She had asked for this shift but was now beginning to regret it. Still, no time like the present for answers she decided, and he had had almost two full days of rest. She blew in his face gently.

Red eyes snapped open and Yuffie was shocked to see that Vincent's teeth were already bared. Still, she didn't flinch back and but a hand delicately on his chest. The wound had almost completely closed but the shock was enough to bring him back to his senses.

"Yuffie…"

Happiness swelled in her chest but she hid it by puffing out her cheeks indignantly. "You forgot again! It's 'The Great Ninja Yuffie'! And you almost bit my hand off you jerk!"

Vincent let out a soft chuckle. "My apologies. I quite forgot myself." His face darkened slightly. "Should you be talking to me? I am a traitor to you and your friends."

"Psh, whatever. I'm not interested in that. I just wanted to talk so I thought I might as well drop by. Ninja Puff is doing really well. I'm looking after him myself!" Vincent tried to smile encouragingly at her but she flicked his nose. "I told you to stop doing that! Jeez Vinny, you give me nasty goose bumps when you smile when you aren't happy."

"I am sorry. There is not much I can do about that. So, you are my current jailer."

She crawled on the bed beside him and sat against the wall, holding her stomach out of habit more than nausea. "Only because I wanted to talk." Her lip trembled and she rested her head on her knees hoping he wouldn't notice before letting the words burst out of her. "Why did you do it?! Now nobody's happy… Nobody." She sniffled and, not wanting him to see her cry started to leave before Vincent took her arm and pulled her into a soft embrace. "Everyone's all messed up. More than they were before. Did we do something wrong?" She buried her head in his shoulder to stifle a choked sob.

Vincent stroked the young ninja's hair, an unreadable expression on his face. "I can never apologize enough for putting you all through that. You deserved better than that. However I did what I thought was right and I did my best to stay on that road. But I made mistakes. I began to hold all of you too dear to continue in my venture. I thought that Lucrecia wished me to help Sephiroth in his final quest. I believe now that I was wrong. She wished for me to have a new start at a happy life, but now it is too late. You're right. I have broken everything. I am so sorry… I have hurt the people closest to me and that is inexcusable."

"How could you do that to Cid?" Came the mucus stifled voice from his shoulder.

"Perhaps what I've done is for the best. I have sinned too much in my life to allow anyone around me to be happy. I deserve to be treated like a criminal. But my feelings for him-"

A small hand collided with his mouth. "You're so stupid! You don't deserve to be locked up… You weren't just helping something you thought was right, you were protecting all of us. I really believe that."

There was a snort from outside the door and Cid strode in, a fire in his eyes. "Is that right? I figured he was just bein' a selfish asshole. "Course, an eighteen year old prolly knows a shit ton more than me right?"

There was an astonished silence in which Yuffie got up shaking and began to walk towards Cid will balled fists. She looked back sharply as Vincent's hand caught her arm. "Please…" He said softly. "Please go help Tifa. I need to speak with Cid alone."

"Aw hell Vin," The pilot drawled. "Let the kid stay. She might actually be able to hear the truth."

"I have not lied to you personally, Cid. The only thing I've ever lied about is my involvement with Sephiroth."

"BULLSHIT! EVERYTHING YOU EVER FUCKING SAID AND DID WITH ME WAS A LIE!"

"No, please Cid I-"

"HOW'RE YOUR FUCKING WOUNDS DOING, HUH?! SEEMS TO ME THEY'RE HEALIN' A HELLUVA LOT FASTER THAN YOUR SHOULDER DID!"

Vincent cradled his aching head at the loud noise. "Please stop yelling… I'm sorry… I did not want my shoulder to heal, so it didn't."

Cid scoffed but lowered his voice slightly. "You wanted it to seem like Sephiroth had really hurt you bad, huh?"

"No, that's not-"

Yuffie's face was turning green as she started out the door but almost jumped out of her skin when Cid roared "SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" and looked at her so fiercely that she crept back to her spot at Vincent's side. "And what about the sex, huh Vin? No prep, no lube-"

"Cid!" Vincent looked horrified and Yuffie went beet red.

"-One would almost think you get off on that shit! Or wait, no, let me guess: Mr. FuckingSadAss needs to make it seem like he's getting' raped to get it up! Tell me Vin, does Sephiroth fuck you like that while you let him cut you up?! You prolly wanted to keep the shoulder wound to remind you of his-"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Vincent was on his feet, eyes yellow and teeth lengthening. The strain of standing was making him feel as though he would vomit up his internal organs but the presence of Chaos made him strong. "How dare you imply that I EVER let that man do anything to me?! I wouldn't let myself heal because I wanted you to keep coming to see me! I loved every moment you were there. You are right though, the sex was obviously a mistake. I let my control slip. I was selfish to want you with the knowledge that I would bring you pain, but I told you that, and I had already made my decision to stop aiding Sephiroth." He took a deep breath, his face a sickly pallid colour as his strength ebbed. "I refused preparation because I wanted to feel pain and know what I was experiencing was real. But do you know what? Since it seems you're so convinced I want to be raped, then you should take a look at yourself _Darling_. If we go by your logic then you enjoy being the rapist." This last sentence was spat out bitterly and Vincent regretted it almost immediately.

Cid's face looked murderous as he walked towards the dark haired man. "So." He began, nodding slowly and his right hand clenched. "So. That's how it is huh?" He raised his fist.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It's not the way I feel…" The fist swung and Vincent did his best to brace himself. But the blow never came. Yuffie stood in front of him, Cid's punch successfully parried with her speed.

The two men stared at her in shock, but she simply looked grim and ill. "Get out Cid."

"What? You can't just-"

A ninja star whizzed past his face and struck the wall. A few fragments of blonde hair fell. "If you haven't figured it out yet, Vincent's really hurt and you're making it worse by being dumb. Leave or I'll hit you with one of these things for real."

"Yuffie-"

"Back in bed Vincent, you're being dumb too. And Cid, when you leave, don't get all mopey and feel sorry for yourself. Think about what he said, 'cuz you know what? He was probably telling the truth."

"We aren't done-"

A bright glimmer of metal was the only warning Cid had before he ducked another star.

"You guys have said all you're gonna say right now. Now go be a jerk somewhere else!"

The pilot opened the door and muttered something unintelligible before closing the door behind him. The final thock of metal against wood signaled that Yuffie had heard exactly what was said.

"Jerk." She muttered. "I don't know what you see in him." She turned to Vincent and helped him back into the bed. She heard a soft hiccup and lifted a curtain of hair to see a tear roll down Vincent's face. "Whuuuaaat?! Don't cry! I'm Sorry! What did I do!?"

"No… I- it's not his fault. He's just hurting… I almost lost control… He and you could both be dead right now… I'm awful."

"Oh stop feeling sorry for yourself you big dummy. You're not that bad, you wouldn't have made me birthday pancakes if you were. You two will work it out. Just not right now." She smiled and sat on the bed.

He lay back, trying to smile at her. "Why couldn't I have fallen in love with you instead?"

She put a finger to her lips as though she was trying to think about it before saying: "Because then you wouldn't have loved Cid, and he makes you happy! Well, most of the time… And if you were in love with me, who would be left to take care of you? No one, that's who! Besides, it'd be creepy 'cuz you're all old and stuff. If you loved me… who would Cid love?" Yuffie saw him drifting off. "If you loved me like that, who'd look after me? Who'd protect me like they were my big brother?" She pulled the covers up to his chin and kissed him on the cheek. "You guys'll be okay, I'll make sure of it."

That night, Vincent slept without any nightmares to speak of, and Cid didn't sleep at all.

--

Holy crap. I am so sorry. My llama of perserverance died a couple months ago and I just recently got a new one. Named Mooky. A LOT has happened in my life since the last chapter but thank you all for staying with me. I hope this chapter was worth the weight. The next will be the last, so wish me luck. You all have the patience of saints! To my reviewers:

yaoi-midnight-mistress: Mmm, I like that. A fanfiction cake. It must be baked!

sparkreno: Thank you! I try to make the characters as real as possible.

Deathcas: Thanks for the support!

Dalin: I dunno man, your review made me feel like a hundred bucks! As for the ending? we'll have to see.

tails doll curse: Glad you like it!

Tsukie: Were Vincent in his right mind, he'd probably apologize for all the blood. Thanks for reviewing!

Faithful Cherry Blossom: Thanks!

demonlifehealer: Sorry about the slow update. Llama troubles.

Kiira-san: I... I'm sorry? I don't think this ending is all that great either but I promise the next will be better!

Tobi-Uchiha: I hope your heart is doing better, though after this chapter... I'll feed the luck to Mooky, he practically runs on it!

ChaseYoungluvr: I'm glad you're enjoying my portrayals!

Iced Coffee: Poor all of them really, I'm kind of a jerk to the characters.

Wintersheart1766: Oh crap! Waterwaterwaterwaterwater! Thank yooouuuu!

Agatsuma Ritsuka: I won't completely stop the story until it's done, it's against my policy. I will however drag my feet a lot. Heh heh.

MizuYousei: Well, it's not soon but here is (at last) an update!

VampireWolfXIII: Glad you liked them! Now, as it turns out.

Superwitch: Superwitch, I'd like you to meet Mooky. My other llama died out of age and neglect (they don't live very long but they sure are useful!). Thanks for your patience.

Thanks so much to everyone who's stuck with me up 'till now. Let's go to the last chapter together! Hi Ho Mooky, awaaaayyyy!


	9. Chapter 8

Little Bird Chapter 8

Cloud woke up with his head pounding like a jackhammer. He had been struggling against illness ever since he had seen Aerith and Zack two days ago, but this morning it seemed that he had finally lost the battle against it. He could barely see when he opened his eyes but even so, he could tell that Sephiroth wasn't there. He shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

The blizzard rarely let up for long and even Sephiroth agreed that they could not travel in such conditions. Thankfully, the angle of the wind never allowed the snow to make its way into their cave, but that made it no less cold. Sephiroth would venture out when he wasn't locked in a memory and catch them food, which was probably where he was now. That was fine. Cloud needed the extra rest. He had just barely drifted back to sleep when the crunching of boots alerted him to the General's arrival.

"What on earth are you doing? Get up." Cloud flinched as one of those boots met his side. "Have you died already?" The silver haired man dropped the large bird like creature next to Cloud and yanked the young man up a few feet by his hair. "Why won't you move? Is my toy broken after so little use?"

Cloud opened his eyes blearily, barely feeling the pain in his scalp. He saw his tormentor frown slightly, thought whether it was with concern or irritation Cloud couldn't tell. He was dropped and the General's wonderfully cold hand was placed on his forehead, after which the man jerked back as though stung. "You have quite the temperature, pet. How long have you been in this state?" Fingers ghosted over Cloud's heated cheek before they were taken away. "Did you plan this?" A wicked smile alighted on his face and he started to reach out again, his hand like a claw. Then softly, "No." The hand dropped first, and then went to his own forehead. "No. You are ill. You must return to health. Soon. Now. Please." He paced quickly, turning sharply as he went and though he spoke to Cloud, he barely glanced at him as he moved.

"Not your fault. Of course not. You didn't." The general's hand raked down his face and he looked directly at the blonde. Cloud noticed with some nervousness that the General's pupils had slit. Faster than he could blink, Sephiroth's arms were wrapped around him. "Don't die. Not like this. You can't. You promised. I'll fix you."

"Letting me breathe might help." Cloud smiled weakly and accepted the slap as his punishment for beginning to develop a sense of humour. Another blanket was tossed onto him carelessly and the General began cutting up their next meal.

"Do not mock my concern Cloud," The General's voice wound through the air like silk. "I can assure you it is not a lengthy visitor." He glanced over thoughtfully before taking out a materia and turning it to the blond. "Sleep."

He caught Cloud's head before it cracked off the stone and set it down gently. "Too hot, far too hot." He murmured. He cursed himself for letting the boy go unchecked for so long. 'I have almost entirely lost control of myself. It doesn't matter though,' The silver haired man smiled wistfully. 'Soon it will all be over. Soon I will rest in a place where even Mother cannot reach me'

He looked down at the blonde. 'He is so sweet. He is mine. He will do it. His blade at my throat, or perhaps my heart. Driving through me... piercing through me....' His pulse quickened and he bit his lip so hard that he drew blood. "Exquisite. You will truly be stunning, Cloud." He lowered his face to the other's and kissed the place beside Cloud's mouth, flicking his tongue out and tasting the soft skin. Trailing his tongue down the young man's neck he came across the faint scar his teeth had made weeks ago. Sephiroth's first impulse was to leave another mark, to bite into that flesh until the blood gushed out of the blonde's neck, covering them both. "No!" The General jerked himself away before he had the chance to act out his desires. "No." He said a little more quietly.

He cradled his head in his hands, hearing the echoes that seemed to fade only when he made contact with Cloud. Screams, a rippling excitement, blood of the enemy spraying against his face, a long sword flashing, tearing through the people of Wutai, no mercy. He looked up and saw a woman shrinking away from him, covered in her husband's blood. "What are you?!" She shrieked, scrabbling backwards.

He lowered his sword. "I am SOLDIER first class Sephiroth. Your husband was forming another rebellion against ShinRa corp. His actions have now been halted."

"ShinRa took everything from us, including my son... " She stood shakily, her legs trembling.

"ShinRa works for the betterment of the people. I imagine the loss of your son was simply a necessary casualty."

"Necessary casualty?" The woman laughed bitterly and spat at Sephiroth's feet. "How dare you. My child was playing outside when he was shot in the head! What was his crime?! Tell me SOLDIER first class Sephiroth, what did he do wrong?! My husband was fighting to avenge his death, as your father would were you unjustly killed!" She drew herself up to full height, staring at him coldly.

"I have no father. I would not know that pain." Sephiroth was taken aback by the look in the woman's eyes. He was used to hostility, to murder, to insanity, but her face spoke of bitterness, brokenness, and pity.

"No." She spoke softly. "I supposed you wouldn't. Monsters do not feel, do not have family. However," She moved towards him. "If you have even a touch of pity, then I must ask you to kill me."

The young General's mouth went dry but he attempted to keep his voice level. "No. You have done nothing wrong. I have fulfilled my orders, I will take my leave of you now. I am sorry for your loss."

"No you aren't." She drew a knife from the table beside her. "Kill me or I'll kill you." She started towards him.

"Stop this!" She broke into a run, aiming the knife at his throat. There was a flash of metal as his hand moved to protect himself before he felt the impact of her torso speared on the Masamune. "No..." She looked at him triumphantly with rapidly fading life. There was a soft gurgling noise from her throat and she spoke her last words.

"Remember this SOLDIER. Monsters died alone. You will die alone."

"Sephiroth?"

The General blinked. Cloud was on the floor at the feet of the now dead woman, and then the woman, the room and Wutai were gone. "You should be sleeping," said Sephiroth wearily. "I used that materia for a reason."

"Your yelling woke me up."

The blonde coughed and tried to sit up, but was quickly forced back down by the flat of the Masamune."Don't get up. Just go back to sleep. I will see if there is anything in here that I can use for our next meal."

Cloud looked at him as suspiciously as he could through bleary eyes to which Sephiroth returned a frosty glare. Eventually the blonde brushed the sword away, only slightly slicing his finger in the process and lay back down. He did a good job of ignoring Sephiroth's stare and drifting back to sleep. Once the blonde's breathing evened out, the General fell to his knees, barely grasping enough sanity to stop him from screaming. He clutched his head, willing himself so calm down and see only what was around him. When he finally raised his head he murmured something so faint that no one farther than two inches of him would have heard it. "It's getting worse."

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"No."

"Oh come on Tifa! He's not entirely at fault, you said it yourself!"

"I said no, Yuffie!"

The ninja's frown was completely lost on Tifa, as she was currently scanning a map. The woman chose to ignore the sound of her visitor's foot tapping against the floor.

"Fine then. Don't help. Let everyone be miserable forever and ever and ever! Let's see how easily we find Cloud with a pilot too depressed to fly and a wounded friend-"

"He's not my friend; friends don't hide things fro-"

"-A wounded friend who feels so sad and guilty that his control over his transformations is slipping! Everyone's all awkward and awful and no one knows what to do and now you're just being a meanie!"

"Yuffie," Tifa spun away from her map and glared at the girl. "I am absolutely exhausted; I don't have time for this. Once we find Cloud we'll sort this out but for now- "

"Wow, you really don't get it, do you? Cloud doesn't want to be found. He made a choice and if you don't accept that now, you never will." Tifa looked as thought she'd been slapped and remained dumbstruck until the ninja spoke again. "The only person who would have any actual idea of where Cloud is right now would be Vincent, but right now, he's too messed up to do anything, but right now, he's our only chance." She smiled slightly, stomach turning. "Right?"

The older of the two sat back down, exhaling heavily and laying her palms over her eyes. "Alright. Tell me what I need to do." She said finally, and the younger inwardly celebrated. Phase one of her plan was complete.

'Don't worry Vincent,' She thought silently. 'I'll fix everything, you just watch!'

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Cloud woke up with his back pressed against something warm and firm. He jerked up but was stopped by his captors hands. "Seph, what the hell are you doing?" He croaked. Sephiroth's face remained expressionless but he dipped an old, battered looking ladle into an equally old black cauldron. Upon bringing it out again, Cloud noticed that the ladle was filled with a hot, steaming broth. At least, he thought it was broth. The soft glow of a few materia based ingredients was also there.

"Drink. You will feel better." The liquid was tipped into the blonde's mouth as he began to protest, causing him to sputter a bit before he began to drink. It was wonderfully warm and already, Cloud felt its effects on his throat. "You needn't worry about the cleanliness; whoever left it here thought he would be back."

Cloud nodded drowsily, pushing away the second ladleful, wanting to go back to sleep, but the General made him drink two more before the blonde was allowed to close his eyes once more. Through his hazy mind he still made out his captor's icy voice. "This storm should pass within the next day or so. It would be wise on your part to be in top condition by then, but we shall see. Either way, you should know that we will travel to the crater as soon as the weather lifts. There is no time for us to wait out another storm." As though he was punctuating his point, the general stiffened before muttering to himself again.

Feeling worried, Cloud began to stir, ready to move if anything happened but worrying about his ability to do so. He smelled the sweet scent of flowers and musk on a strand of wind that ghosted over his cheek and stilled. A gentle, non tangible hand lay on his forehead served to drown out all of the insane chattering. "Please," whispered Aerith's voice in his ear. "Hurry."

Forthenextlittlewhilehereyouwillbeseeingmuchmoreofspaceastheperspectivesandtimeschangemuchmorequicklyandmoveforwardsosleepybutmustprevailwillnotwaitsevenmonthstoupdateagain

Barret squinted and the girl throwing up over the edge of the deck. "You serious Kid?"

Yuffie wiped her mouth and glared at him. "I wouldn't joke about this! I need you to help me. Those morons will never fix this on their own. I need you to trust me on this and not try to stop me."

"Cid ain't gonna like this."

"We're not gonna tell him! That's the point! You want him to be happy again, right?"

The bear like man looked taken aback. "'Course I do! He's bein' an asshole and it's pissing me off!"

"So what do ya say?" she beamed.

"Ah what the hell, sign me up." He glanced at her face and said. "You know kid, you've grown a lot since you first joined us. I hope this works."

Yuffie leaned over the edge again as her stomach heaved. "It better." She muttered. "For all our sakes."

Stage two was complete.

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When Cloud snapped awake once more it was already dark out. His head felt wonderfully clear from the healing materia in the soup. He turned his face so that he could see the mouth of the cave. Sephiroth had been right about the blizzard letting up. Already the lethal wind had died down and snow was falling gently to the ground, thick and white. As he sat up and stretched, he noticed that the silver haired man was nowhere to be found. 'Huh. I guess he went out again.' The blonde yawned and stood, still a little woozy on his feet. He caught Sephiroth's coat before it fell off of him and let a small smile twitch his lips, rubbing his thumb against the leather. 'For a guy that wants me to hate him, he sure does send some mixed signals.'

His rumbling stomach brought him back to the present before he could remember where that line of thinking had gotten him before. The smell of the soup made his mouth water as he stumbled over to the cauldron, careful not to step in the fire underneath it. He drank from the ladle thoughtfully as he looked at the trench coat. 'It's hard. He's evil; he killed my friends, my mother, but was that really him? No... Well, yes, but not the him that I knew. Something else developed, he's absolutely bat shit, but still, there's hope, always. The hero who loved and protected the people is still there, and I can't help but l-' "No!" The ladle clattered to the ground from Cloud's shaking hands. "Shit... SHIT! I have to kill him, I HAVE to! I don't have a choice! And he might be outside freezing to death while his memories keep pulling him back down further and further into his stupid fucking darkness!"

He looked at the coat once more, this time as though it had wronged him horribly. "I should go find him and make sure he doesn't die before I get to kill him." He started out, but stopped short. "He doesn't have his coat." It was a redundant statement considering what he was holding, but the reason for it was the image that had flashed through his mind. Sephiroth, bare-chested in the cold, goose bumps stretching over his skin with nipples hard, gasping a white cloud of steam in the frigid air. "Oh. Shit." Cloud bit his lip, willing his new found erection to go away, but the more he tried to think of unappealing things, the more the god like man appeared in his mind. 'Hell with it.' He thought, and sat, slipping his hand into his pants and wrapping it around his throbbing length. His bit his lip, barely stifling the moan trying to burst forth. "Nnh! Seph!"

"My my, what do we have here?" came a silky voice from the mouth of the cave. Cloud filled with dread as his head slowly turned. The silver haired man stood there, seemingly amused though his eyes registered all of the shock the rest of his face seemed to reject. "It seems that you are not quite as indifferent to my advances as you would have me believe." He set down the lumber he was carrying and in the blink of an eye was in front of the startled blond.

"Sephiroth, listen," Cloud scooted backwards. "It's not- I'm just-"

"It seems fairly straightforward to me." A smirk twitched the general's face as he dropped to his knees and crawled towards the stuttering man. "You have a very specific problem which I would be more than happy to help with." He reached out a hand and trailed a finger up the outline of Cloud's erection, causing the other man to shudder with pleasure.

The blond bit his lip, caught between conflicting emotions, the first being how horribly wrong this situation was, how this wasn't his Sephiroth, but he wanted it, god how he wanted it. Unfortunately, before he had time to respond, the decision was made for him as his pants were jerked down and warm breath brushed against his cock. "Shit! Sephiroth, no, I'm still si- aahn!" His protests were cut short as the man's lips wrapped around the tip of his shaft.

The General ran his tongue from tip to base, enjoying the sounds he heard from Cloud's mouth. "Sick or not, you began this..." He whispered and made another long, deliberate lick down the shaft. "Of course, I could always stop." He hid his cruel amusement beneath a curtain of silver hair as he began to pull back, stopped suddenly by a shaking hand.

"Please..." Cloud's hand caught in a few strands of the general's hair, cheeks burning.

Sephiroth composed his face into a blank stare before looking up at the boy. There was a pure carnal hunger there that shocked him for a moment. 'He never ceases to surprise me.' "Please what?"

An embarrassed flush darkened Clouds cheeks further and the blonde turned to glare at the rock beside him. "Don't stop." He muttered.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you."

"Please don't stop!" Cloud cried out in frustration.

"Why?"

"Because... I need it. Don't stop." Once again, the blonde turned away, defeated.

"Well, if you insist." Sephiroth smiled in triumph, pupils dilating rapidly. "Spread your legs further."

As soon as the blonde did so, he lowered his head and took the length into his mouth again, this time letting him in as deep as he could go and sucked. Cloud swore and clutched Sephiroth's hair violently, jerking into his mouth. Those piercing green eyes stared up into frantic blue ones as the ministrations continued. One hand pried the two clutching ones from his hair and held them together. The other brushed against the young man's entrance causing a strangled gasp to escape from him. The General smiled around the shaft and let a deep note hum through his throat, causing vibrations to run through the stiff cock.

"Nnnh! Seph... FUCK!!" Cloud came in the silver haired man's mouth, arching with a deep moan.

Sephiroth swallowed the bitter liquid, letting the length slip from his mouth. "So vulgar, I shouldn't have let you come so early. Was that..." The general's voice trailed off as he saw the look on the blonde's face. The younger man leaned towards him, pausing by his ear. "Cloud, what-"

"Fuck me."

Sephiroth's eyebrows shot up and he began to pull away. "That's enough."

The young man's hand grabbed his shoulder. "I want you to fuck me. Hard. Rip me until I-"

Cloud crashed into the side of the cave with the force of the General's blow and when he looked up, he saw clarity on the silver haired man's face. Clarity and disgust.

"Have dignity Cloud. You are no whore! To see you act like one is sickening. You want me to tear you apart? Why? Because that is the only form of sexual contact I have shown you?" The General turned away, shaking with fury. "You are worth more than that. Act like it." The General pulled on his trench coat and sat by the fire, putting the freshly found lumber on the dying flames.

Cloud remained where he had fallen, black spots dancing before his vision from the impact. 'What the hell did I just try to do? I just asked him to... dammit...' He curled up, disgusted with himself. He hadn't wanted a repeat of Costa de Sol. He had simply been willing to settle for it since he couldn't have the gentle, willing version.

He stood and made is way over to the straight backed figure tentatively. "Sephiroth?" He spoke quietly.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

The man turned to look at him, exhaustion evident in his face. "I am sorry for striking you. I could have handled that situation better. But Cloud, We can't do what you want us to; we can't have that kind of connection. Once we do, it will be that much harder to kill me, you know that."

"It won't matter," Cloud lowered his eyes, glaring at the floor. "You're inside my head, right? You can just MAKE me kill you." He glanced at Sephiroth's face to see if his words had made an impact. They had. The general's face was startled and guilty.

"How did you know tha-" His expression went blank and glazed before turning fearful, but this was not a child's fear, this looked too familiar. "N... No... Was I? Was I created like this too? Am I the same as all these monsters...?" Sephiroth's shoulders began trembling. He glared at someone behind him. "You saw it! All of them... were humans... I've always felt since I was small that I was different from the others. Special in some way."

Then it dawned on Cloud, 'I know this memory... this was just before we started losing him.'

"But... Not like this... " He flinched, as though hearing the inhuman shriek of the monster in the pod from his memories. "Am I...... human?" A deadened shadow passed over the man's face, before becoming the frozen mask of today. His gaze snapped over to Cloud. "If you're well enough to be awake and acquiring... pleasure then you're awake enough to spar." A thin sheen of cold sweat was visible on the General's face but Cloud chose not to comment, instead grabbing his sword.

"Okay then, let's go."

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"How many of those have you had today?" Barret looked at his chain smoking friend and the newly cigarette butt covered deck.

"A few."

"Man, when are you two gonna stop avoiding each other?"

Cid ground the cancer stick between his teeth. "Hell if I know. If ya remember, we didn't 'zactly hit it off the last time we talked."

"You tried to deck him when he could barely get up."

"I don't want to talk about him!" The pilot glared and stubbed out his cigarette before lighting another.

"C'mon Cid! Don't let this drag on any more. It was a dick move you pulled but he's not gonna hate you."

"An' why the fuck should I care if he hates me? He fucked us all over!"

Barret summoned the little patience that still remained inside him and kept his voice level. "Yeah. But he's our friend and he had his reasons. We've moved on so why haven't you?"

"Tifa hasn't," Cid grumbled out stubbornly.

"Dude, you really want to compare yourself with Tifa?" The bear like man pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand. "Just don't let this thing with Vincent turn into another Shera thing."

"The hell're you talking about? Shera and I get along fine!"

"Yeah, now you do. It only took years of her trying to make up her mistake to you and then it turned out to not be her fault. But sure, now you two're fine."

The blonde's mouth fell open, cigarette falling from his lips, anger and denial evident on his face. "Now wait just a goddamn-"

"Forget it Barret." A soft female voice caused both men to look towards the door. Yuffie's eyes were red rimmed and puffy, as though she'd been crying. "Plan's off."

The bear like man's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

She sniffed and wiped her nose. "Tifa messed up. Vincent's too fucked up to give her answers so-"

"Hold on!" The blonde cut in. "What the hell is this about?!"

"I wanted to get you and Vinny to stop fighting," she said dully "so I tried to get Barret and Tifa to get you two talking again. But Tifa... She still thinks that he's completely aware of where Cloud is, and when she couldn't get the answer out of him, she had him moved to our holding facility."

Cid was away from the railing and moving across the floor before you could blink an eye, and only stopped when Yuffie barred the door with her arms outspread. "Outta the way kid." He muttered, trying to brush her off to the side.

She stood her ground and shook her head. "No."

"Whaddaya mean no!? I'm gonna go see him just like you wanted so-"

"You don't get to see him anymore! You wasted that chance!"

He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "S'cuse me?"

She glared up at him. "You hurt him too much. He's losing control of himself more often 'cause he can't focus on keeping it all in! He's hurting because of you and your fucked up issues. Do you have any idea how guilty and vulnerable he feels?"

"That's bull sh-"

"HE'S HAVING NIGHTMARES AGAIN!" She bellowed over him in a voice that seemed like it should come from someone much larger. Her lip trembled and she bit it to keep it still.

Cid seemed to have been struck dumb, face going slack. "Shit..." He ran a hand over his face.

"The other day when I tried to wake him up, he almost attacked me because of it." A tear started to spill over her right eye but she blinked it away. "You messed him up, now I'm going to fix him."

Barret seemed deeply disturbed by the scene unfolding in front of him. "Yuffie, maybe you should just-"

"Fuck off Barret!" she yelled angrily "I'm done with this!"

Cid put up his hands in a kind of defence, also seemingly stunned by the young ninja's actions. "Kid, why are you doing this? I get that you're trying to help but..." He trailed off as she muttered something, lowering her gaze slightly. "What?"

"I said I love him. I love Vincent, and I'm going to fight you for him. At first I figured that he'd only be able to be fixed by you, but the other night, he said that he wished he could've loved me instead. So you know what? Maybe I get a chance. Maybe you've blown yours. Either way, I won't let you have him without a fight." She looked up at him coldly and fingered the giant shuriken on her back. "Or are you too scared Gramps?"

The bear like man started towards her behind Cid but the pilot held up a hand to stop him. "Alright Kid. Have it your way." He chuckled and lit a cigarette before grabbing his lance where it lay on the deck.

"You guys aren't really gonna fight." Barret said this more to reassure himself than to get through to the two figures in front of him.

There was a moment of silence before the ninja lunged forward and struck out. A clang of metal followed her attack as Cid blocked it and threw her back through the doorway. She twisted her body so that the bottoms of her feet hit the wall and she threw three smaller shuriken at him before landing and running down the hallway, gaining distance on him.

"Thought you wanted a fight Yuffie!" Cid ducked and followed her, noticing the warning signs as she skidded to a halt and faced him down the hall. He flattened himself against the wall as the giant shuriken whizzed by, missing him by inches. "Bad move Kid!" He ran at her, frowning slightly as he noticed that she wasn't running. A soft whistling of air had him get out of the way once more, this time suffering a cut on his shoulder from the spiked behemoth. He squinted and managed to strike it with his lance just hard enough that it went off course and crashed into a wall, sticking there. A few more of the tiny variety were easily avoided as he dropped and thrust out at her legs, effectively slashing one of the limbs.

The girl leapt above him and dropped something familiar looking. "Oh, fuck." Then the Ink spread through the air and engulfed his vision. "Playin' dirty huh Yuff?! That's just fuckin' fine!" Pain ripped through his leg, almost causing him to fall over. He cast out his lance in the direction of the attack, meeting only air. "Little bitch..." He strained his eyes through the black fog that impaired his sight, finally making out a slight movement. He staggered blindly at it, swinging his weapon wildly until it made contact with its target's soft stomach.

Grabbing her shoulder, he threw her like a rag doll into the wall. His vision cleared slightly and he saw her pained expression. "You obviously don't get this so I'm goin' to spell it out for you. I'd do anything to save Vincent. I'm a fuckin' moron sometimes who doesn't know when to stop pickin' fights, but I love the ever loving shit out of him, and no kid is gonna keep me from protecting him. To be clear," he pointed his lance at her throat "I'd kill you to get to him, and if he wants you over me then he can tell me himself without some adolescent ninja wannabe tryin' to take him away. Are we clear?" Her nod barely registered on his blackened vision, but it was enough. "Good. Now tell me which way the Goddamn holding cell is."

The hand that wasn't attached firmly to her wound pointed. "Down the stairs, second door on your right." As he staggered off, she called after him "What if I had used poison instead of darkness, huh?"

Cid glanced back at her through the smoke. "Wouldn'ta made a damn difference and you know it. Just might've meant you were serious about this." He gave her a half smile. "Thanks." And then he headed off again.

"No problem..." she murmured.

"Did it work out the way you wanted it to Sweetie?" Tifa reached down a hand to her. "That's some nasty cut you have."

Barret wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "You're a crazy bitch, you know that kid? I believed it and I KNEW what was coming!"

Yuffie looked up a little sheepishly. "I actually think I might have believed it for a second too." But she shook her head gently at their questioning gazes.

"You think he'll be able to find Vincent?" asked the long haired woman worriedly.

"Psh! Of course he will! We can't interfere with the rest of this now. Stage three is complete!" The ninja stuck her tongue out while Tifa helped her to her feet. "After all, I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!"

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The snow had stopped by mid afternoon, and the men in the cave left behind everything but their weapons and the clothes of their back in favour of travelling light. They trudged through the knee deep snow silently, a tension steadily building as they grew closer to their destination. The few monsters that got in their way were quickly diced without much thought.

"Cold, huh?"Cloud murmured. When he received no reply he spoke in a louder voice. "Isn't it funny how some monsters look like they could be small woodland creatures?" He glanced over at the general to see if any impact had been made with his words, but Sephiroth looked stony faced as ever. Eventually Cloud cut to the chase, voicing a concern that had been plaguing him for a while. "So how are we going do to this once we get there? Do we just start fighting or do we say 'ready, set, go!' or what?"

The silver haired man gaze flicked over to him him with an annoyed look of puzzlement on his face. "I am not certain. We will know once we are there. For now you should attempt to save your energy by not talking."

"Well, okay, but-"

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Sephiroth rounded on the blonde, the Masamune just brushing the young man's lips. "I just told you not to talk. Understand that you can still fight me without a tongue."

Cloud looked at him irritably, but didn't speak again. One never knew when the General's threats were idle.

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed in thought. It seemed that even his captor wasn't certain of their course of action upon their arrival. 'I guess all he really knows is what he wants the end result to be. Still,' he thought 'I don't think I can just get there and say: "okay, this is it, I'm going to kill you now!" I'm not angry yet; but l guess his control will solve that problem. Dammit.' An icy wind twirled around them, causing goose bumps to rise on his arms. He rubbed them quickly but almost instantly ducked as something came flying at him.

"Pick it up." Came Sephiroth's curt voice, and when Cloud looked at the shape in the snow and saw the trench coat. "Well? Put it on. You are still recovering and we wouldn't want a relapse now would we?"

The younger man was about to protest but at the look on Sephiroth's face he decided that it would be better for his long term survival if he didn't fight the General on this point. The silver haired man nodded as Cloud slipped on the now too familiar coat and the two continued on.

After a while the rock face gave way to an opening up ahead.

"Is that it?" The blonde asked. "I've never seen it from this angle before. Maybe this opened up after our last battle?"

Another nod. "The planet scarred over inside, sealing the mako energy below ground once more."

The two stood at the entrance, neither really wanting to cross the threshold that would signal the end of their journey, and the beginning of something else. Cloud swallowed anxiously, and that soft noise seemed to break the spell.

"Let us go." Sephiroth murmured, stepping through without so much as a glance back. The General would have seemed calm and uncaring to the untrained eye, but Cloud took in the stiffness of the back and the subtle clenching of his hands. He bit his lip and followed, blinking at the sudden darkness.

They weaved through the narrow tunnel system that had opened up, many times having to double back as they hit dead ends the planet had caused. When they reached a gap in the path, the silver haired man wordlessly looped an arm around Cloud's waist and flew them over it, both men gazing down into the swirling mako that the planet had failed to seal.

Landing delicately, Cloud looked up and saw the open sky above them. He saw Sephiroth glance upwards briefly before locking eyes with him. The younger man held his gaze for a moment before breaking the silence.

"What happens now?"

"Now, we wait."

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Cid limped down the stairs, feeling his way along the wall as the blood steadily ran down his leg. "Second door..." he muttered, groping for the handle. He slipped inside and was almost immediately tackled against the wall. He squinted through the black fog to see Vincent's eyes glowing an inhuman yellow. "Vin, it's me."

A snarl. White fangs glinted in his hazy vision before shrinking. The eyes lost their luminous yellow colour and faded to red. "Cid... You're bleeding! Did I-"

"Nah," The chain smoker put up his hand wearily as Vincent dropped to inspect the wound. "I got in a scrap with the kid."

The red eyed man looked at him sharply before rummaging in a cupboard and pushing a liquid to Cid's lips. The blonde man resisted, but soon swallowed the bitter tasting remedy, watching as his vision cleared. The face revealed to him looked thin and pale, dark circles streaked under its eyes; but it was Vincent, and nothing could be more beautiful. He rested his forehead against the others gently and whispered, "I'm sorry. I had no right to-"

"Enough. You were well within your rights to be angry. Let me have a look at that leg." Vincent broke their skin to skin contact with lowered eyes and a slight flush on his cheeks. The pilot watched, fascinated as the dark haired man set to work at repairing the skin with peroxide and gauze. "I was not left in the possession of any cure materia, so I am afraid that this is the best I can do for you right now."

Cid stared at him a while longer. "Yuffie said you got nightmares."

"How is she? You were beginning to talk about a fight-"

"I was beginnin' to talk about your goddamn nightmares!" He flinched at his own tone of voice and did his best to soften it. "I'm worried about you. You look like death warmed up. Yuffie said you were losin' control."

"By the sound of it, Yuffie has said a lot of things." Vincent snapped, his gaze boring a hole in the wall. "Yes. All of these things are true. I have had a great deal on my mind and it has caused a bit of havoc of my body. Now you. You fought with her, and I assume that you both received damage. Why?"

Cid squinted, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette but finding nothing. He muttered a curse and chewed his lip instead. "She said some shit to get me riled up."

"Undoubtedly, but what?"

"Lemme ask you somethin', just for my own piece of mind." A slender eyebrow rose in response, but the Chaos holder didn't try to stop him and so Cid ploughed on ahead. "It was somethin' else the kid said. That you wished you could've loved her."

Vincent's face was unreadable, save for a slight tightening of his jaw. "What is the question?"

"Do you?"

A slight pause, then, "Yes. I am certain you would agree that she would be an easier person to love."

Cid felt his heart drop like a weight down to his stomach. So there it was, said out loud. "Huh." Was all he could manage at first. "I guess that's it then. We fought 'cause of you, over you actually. I said I wouldn't believe it unless I heard it from you; but now I look like an idiot." He started to make his way to the door but that smooth voice stopped him.

"I don't believe you understand. It would be much easier to love Yuffie, as she and I do not argue, but the fact remains that I love you, and only you." Cid's head snapped back, mouth slightly open. "I cannot undo what I have done, and I have no right to ask for forgiveness. I am a monster that can no longer control myself; but I love you more than I can convey with words alone. You stormed brazenly into my life and pulled me- unbidden I might add, out of the darkness I had created for myself. I have no right to ask or expect anything of you, and I know that I have broken what we had, but do you think that we could attempt to start again? No lies, I promise..."

Cid walked back to him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "You're really fuckin' cheesy sometimes, you know that? Okay. Let's start over." He wrapped his arms around that too thin body and guided the dark haired man to sit on the bed, taking a seat beside him. "So tell me about yourself."

A shy smile lit up the face of the other man. "My name is Vincent Valentine; I was once a member of the Turks..."

JustgivingeveryonethatnicelittleawmomentbeforewecontinuetodarkerthingsasasidenoteImactuallyreallyhappyathowthischapteristurningout

"So," Cloud began, "this is the place. It's weird to think that we're here again, isn't it?"

Sephiroth looked around carefully. "This is where I waited, where I was frozen, where you and I did battle. The echoes are stronger here." A shudder ran up his spine, pupils dilating rapidly.

"Echoes?"

"It feels as though they are about to overtake me... So loud, they are everywhere here... Why? You are here... They should not be-"

Suddenly the general clutched his head and began to scream. Cloud had to clap his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the unearthly sound that filled and reverberated around the crater. Energy seemed to build up and dash around for miles, shattering stalagmites and laying deep gashes in the wall. As abruptly as it began the screaming stopped, but Sephiroth didn't let go of his head and he began to convulse where he stood.

Cloud called out tentatively. "Sephiroth?"

The man in front of him began babbling as he jerked around, seeming to jump from one memory to the next. "Didn't mean to kill it!" twitch "But I'm just a teenager!" spasm "The Great Sephiroth, huh?" jolt. They came faster and faster. "But where is my Mother? Professor Gast is dead?! I hate you. Husband forming another rebel group. Not a monster! Stop! War. Why? Child. Hojo... No! Monster? Mother! Jenova, monster, no, stop stop stop MOTHER!" It was as though marionette strings were cut as the silver haired man went limp, collapsing to his knees with blank eyes, a final sentence pushing out of his lips. "Am I...... human?"

The blonde went to him, calling his name louder but Sephiroth stood with little to no effort, facing away from him. "Mother, let's take this planet back together. I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land." He paused, registering Cloud without turning. A low chuckle started in his throat, building until an insane laugh was echoing around the crater. "They've come again, mother." He paused again, this time speaking directly to Cloud. "With her superior power, knowledge, and magic, Mother was destined to become the ruler of this planet." Cloud felt goose bumps rise as he watched on helplessly. "But they... Those worthless creatures are stealing the planet from mother. But now I'm here with you, so don't worry." He made a motion with his hands as though ripping something out of the air in front of him.

"That's enough." Though it was a whisper, Cloud knew the General had heard him. "Snap out of it." He reached out and put a hand firmly on the other man's shoulder.

"Oh, but Cloud... There is nothing to snap out of. You will die here, and the world will follow, now unhand me or I shall have to kill you before the fun can really begin."

For a moment, Cloud forgot to breathe, in the next, there was a clang of metal as the Buster Sword parried what would have been a finishing blow. He evaded another strike, more out of fear than coherence. "You aren't even going to give me an edge?" He tried to joke, voice shaking. The general had an expression of maniacal glee on his face.

"Now why would I do that?" Sephiroth purred, eyes glinting.

"You want me to kill you!" Cloud jumped backwards to avoid being cut in two.

"Do I? Oh dear, I suppose this means I've changed my mind, hasn't it? Think clearly Precious, why in Mother's name would I want to die? I have so much left to do. This planet was as good as mine. The only thing standing in my way was, and still is you. You will die here; not me."

The blonde blocked the next attack and struck back; shedding the trench coat in one fluid motion in the second it took for the General to be knocked back. "You're lying. I know you now, and this isn't you talking!" He barely managed to avoid the ball of fire shot his way, the hairs on his arm sizzling.

"It is." The sounds of metal clashing rang through the crater again and again. "I am all that is left." He managed to cut Cloud's left arm while ducking an incoming swing. "Too slow!" He crowed, "Always too slow!"

It was all the blonde could do to defend himself against the onslaught. Fear welled up in his stomach. 'I'm not strong enough. Shit!' The force of the next attack was enough to knock him to the ground, sword skittering out of his grasp. He threw up a hand in a feeble attempt to block the inevitable, closing his eyes.

"Cloud!" Sephiroth's voice was clear and ragged and the blonde's head snapped up. There was fear in the General's face too; fear and clarity. "Cloud... you can't be afraid, you must do this! Fail and you doom us both! ...I'm sorry."

Cloud nearly asked why the silver haired man was apologizing, but the answer came in the feeling of something ripping open in his head. Everything became muffled, replaced by a red haze as he screamed, digging his fingers into his scalp. Even his scream seemed to fade into the abyss as the General's face smoothed into a comfortable insanity. Then the pain receded, but the feeling did not. "You killed them all... My mother, my friends, my village... too many more to count, all so that you could live out your petty little dreams. And for what!?" He lunged across the floor, snatching up his sword once more. "To please the Mommy you don't have?"

Sephiroth's face turned livid as he struck out, only to be thrust back by the blonde. "What's the matter Sephy? Did I touch a nerve? She doesn't exist, and you shouldn't either. You only cause pain!" The silver haired man tried to attack again, but was forced back by Cloud's strength. He escaped what would have been a fatal blow with only a shallow cut on his stomach.

The blonde simply batted away the next ball of fire, rushing at the General with everything he had. All he could remember were the faces of the dead villagers, of his mother, of Aerith. They had been slaughtered mercilessly, and Cloud would not let their deaths go unpunished, but the righteous anger was quickly becoming something much more primitive, more sinister. Reason faded from his head leaving only the roaring urge to hurt, to kill, he needed no reason.

A sadistic smile crept over Cloud's face as the General seemed to falter slightly, uncertainty flashing over his face briefly. Then the blonde attacked, hacking and slashing with such speed and ferocity that it was all Sephiroth could do to fight the onslaught. Gashes appeared on both parties but neither seemed to notice as they continued their deadly dance. Another blow and the Masamune went flying, a spatter of blood now decorating the younger man's sword. Sephiroth had caught the blade before it could bury its self too deeply in his side, but damage had certainly been done. The silver haired man jerked it out of him and tried to fly to where his own sword had landed, but Cloud's hand gripped his ankle and flung him to the ground.

An animalistic growl rose from the blonde man's throat as he threw the buster sword where Sephiroth's blade fell and leapt on the man with teeth and nails bared. He tore savagely at the being beneath him, knocking back the arms that tried to protect it. All he knew was that this man represented pain and hatred and that he wanted to crush every last breath of air from him. With that thought, he wrapped his hands around the lean throat under him and began applying pressure.

A face of calm clarity looked up at him, growing pink with oxygen deprivation. There was a look of hope in those eyes that made Cloud stop. 'Wait... I... No. He must die, he kills and hurts and violates! ...but that wasn't him... In his right mind he never would- No! He hurts! I hurt because of him! He'll destroy everything!' The thought panicked him enough to retighten his grip.

A warm wind swept by him and a warm pair of intangible hands stroked his hair, soothing the pain from his damaged mind; not enough to take away the feelings entirely, but enough to put him back into control; enough to finally make him understand. "I can't." He let go of the General's neck, smiling weakly at the astonished face. "Shit. I think you knew I couldn't from the start, or if you didn't, they did."

Sephiroth didn't stop to ask who, but the dismay on his face was evident. "No! Cloud, I am going to lose control again, do it now!"

"No. I can't." Cloud watched the General's face start to change. "It doesn't have to end like this, fight it!" He placed his hands on the silver haired man's cheeks. "You can do this, please..."

Sephiroth's face contorted and he began to struggle, though whether it was against Cloud or himself, the blonde couldn't tell. He searched inside his own head to where Sephiroth's presence was still deeply embedded and began to follow it as though it were a guiding rope between the two minds. The few Jenova cells inside him were happy to spur his journey along until he encountered something foreign. When he nudged against it, it seemed to recoil as though burned. A wave of understanding rushed through him and he made a very gentle stroking motion with his consciousness.

"_...Cloud?"_

"_I'm here."_ He echoed back in Sephiroth's mind. He reached out and attached himself to what he recognized as the Sephiroth he knew and began pulling. Pain erupted on both ends but neither made a move to change their course of action.

Cloud came out of it first, having let go right at the forefront of the General's mind. He watched as the two parts fought for dominance, and the hands that had helped him alighted on Sephiroth's forehead. He saw Aerith and Zack, just barely visible, their eyebrows knit with worry and concentration, and placed his hands through theirs.

A shuddering gasp rose from the body underneath him. "Cloud?" It asked weakly. He pulled his hands away and saw the silver haired man as he remembered him, but with a look of anger on his face. "What are you thinking?! Do you honestly think that I will be able to stay sane for-"

"I love you."

Sephiroth's tirade died in his throat. He exhaled, a crease forming between his eyebrows. He watched as Cloud drew the cure materia out of him and healed them both. "You can't." He tried, hoping that his words would reach this ridiculous blonde's head.

Cloud looked at him. "Why not? Because I have to kill you? That's the only reason I can find; and it's a pretty stupid one."

"Do you not remember what I have done? Whom I have hurt? I raped-"

"I know what you've done," the blonde replied quietly "but is doesn't change the way I feel. And you know what? I don't think you're all that indifferent to me."

Sephiroth closed his eyes, wanting to cry, to scream, anything. He wanted to give in and let his feelings rule him as they hadn't since he was a child. But he couldn't. To do so would doom the entire planet to death, and he couldn't allow that to happen. Even now, he could feel the insanity trying to control him as though it were a disease that he couldn't get rid of. "If this were any other situation-"

"But it isn't. Yes, these feelings are selfish; how could they not be? But I can't change them. I love you. Do you love me?"

"That's... I cannot."

"Sure you can. You're capable of emotion just like me. But that doesn't answer my question."

"You... Why are you making this so difficult?" The General bit out, the temptation was immense.

"Are you kidding me? This is one of the simplest things ever!" Cloud stopped to grin at something Sephiroth couldn't see. "The biggest things in life always are. Your feelings won't change a situation I've already made my mind up about. For real this time: do you?"

Cloud was right. He was right and he was smug about it. The silver haired man sat up, touching the recently knit wound on his side. "Of course I do." He muttered bitterly. "You are in all likelihood the only creature I've ever truly given my love to. That is one of the reasons that I cannot be allowed to live. Don't you understand?!" His voice rose. "If I am allowed to live, I will kill you! Let me die with the knowledge that I have not! How long do you think I will remain sane? A week? A day? I can assure you that it will be exponentially shorter than that."

"We can find another way, I know we can."

He took the younger man's shoulders firmly, willing himself not to give in to the blonde's comforting words. "No Cloud. It would be selfish of _me_ to allow this to continue. It was selfish of me to involve you in the first place, to involve others. Despite my hampered judgement I am still at fault here! To me, you are a beautiful soaring bird representing the freedom that I cannot hope to obtain. I captured you in the hope that you could set _me_ free. I locked you up, tortured you and expected you to fight me to the death; all in the hopes that along the way you would free me from what I have become. But I went about it in the wrong way."

Cloud brushed the hands off his shoulders, leaned forwards and kissed him. I wasn't a long kiss, nor was it particularly passionate, but its significance was immense. He wrapped his arms around the general. "How much time?"

Sephiroth was still slightly stunned by the kiss and the warm body pressed against his own. "Pardon?"

"How much time before I have to pull you out of yourself again?"

The General prodded at his own mind tentatively, wincing at what he found. "Two hours, maybe less."

Cloud nodded thoughtfully and began taking off his shirt.

Sephiroth's mouth dropped open. "What are you doing now?" He asked, colour rising to his cheeks. "You can't possibly think that we... that you and I are... right now!"

"Why not?" Cloud flashed him an impish grin that was betrayed only by the weariness in the blonde's face. "We have two hours right now, and until I can figure out what to do, I don't want to waste a second of what I _know_ I have." He chucked his shirt at the general's face.

Sephiroth caught it and looked at the younger man's bare chest. "Compelling argument," Was all he said as Cloud continued to undress. He shook his head, trying to clear it, to formulate a plan before he- There. There it was. The silver haired man once more turned his attention to the now very naked blonde.

"Well?" prompted Cloud, flushing at the gazing raking over his body "Aren't you going to undress? It's pretty damn cold here!" He didn't need to ask twice, and soon he was pulled flush against Sephiroth's exposed body.

A soft gasp was all the General allowed to escape from Cloud's mouth before giving in completely and covering it with his own. Their kiss was much needier than the first, desperation clacking their teeth together as their hands roamed over each other's bodies.

Sephiroth's hands slipped down to grip Cloud's buttocks, causing the blonde to moan and grind against the older man. The two broke their kiss to breathe and Cloud allowed himself to be lowered to the ground.

"You won't regret this?" The General murmured into Cloud's neck.

"If you don't hurry up, I might not live long enough to find out. Hey," he kissed the horrified face that had just extracted itself from his neck "I'm kidding. Of course I won't regret it."

The silver haired man once again turned his attentions to that delicate neck, sucking the faint scar that he had left in what now seemed like another life. He slipped a hand underneath the other man and inserted a finger, stretching him before realizing another problem. "We need lubrication Cloud; I will not take you dry again."

The blonde groaned, not bothering to hide his discomfort and irritation. "Now you remind me! We don't have time for this, move back for a sec." As soon as the General complied, Cloud sat up and popped his own fingers into his mouth, slicking them with as much spit as he could before taking them out and slipping two inside himself, pumping them in and out in a steady rhythm. When he looked up, he saw Sephiroth jerking himself off slowly, lower lip caught between his teeth.

"Heh, you like this then?" Cloud panted.

"Please...tell me when you are ready" Sephiroth managed to say in a strained voice, smearing the precum down his shaft. The sight made Cloud start to shake with need. He retracted his fingers and spread his legs.

"How about now?"

The silver haired man threw himself across to Cloud and kissed him deeply before positioning himself at the man's entrance and sliding in. He groaned at the tightness, the feeling only amplified when Cloud cried out and dug blunt fingernails into his back. "I'm okay..." The younger whispered "I just need a sec."

Sephiroth nodded, concentrating on Cloud's needs to stop him from falling into a delirium and thrusting before he was ready. The small nod, when it came, became one of Sephiroth's favourite gestures as he was allowed to pull out partway and thrust back in, starting with shallow thrusts.

"Nnh! H..Harder!"

Sephiroth sank his teeth into Cloud's shoulder and buried himself in the man to the hilt. He picked up a stronger pace as the blonde writhed in ecstasy underneath him. He watched the man's face, how open it was, how alive it was, how alive _he_ was. He wrapped his fingers around Cloud's erection and pumped, feeling his own climax approaching. Adjusting his angle, Sephiroth hit Cloud's prostate. Stimulation from both the front and the back proved to be too much for the blonde as he came, wrenching Sephiroth's face down to meet his in a frenzied kiss, and after a few thrusts, the General followed him into oblivion.

He pulled out gently, smiling softly as Cloud groaned at the loss, and kissed him softly once more before lying beside him, breathing heavily.

"Floor's cold." The younger remarked.

"It was you who wanted to have sex in a crater in an arctic region. You will be lucky if you avoid getting sick again."

"Nah, being this close to the lifestream makes you warmer."

Sephiroth turned and wrapped his body around the shivering one, nuzzling his face into Cloud's hair. 'Oh Cloud...' he thought "Forgive me."

Spacehopesthatscenecameoutalrightthisisactuallyaveryshortbreakinthegeneralschemeofthingsbutthatsokaycausethelastonewaslong

Vincent bolted upright from where his head had been resting on Cid's lap, almost colliding with the pilot's face in the process. "Cid! We have to hurry, where is Tifa?! We must get the airship moving!"

"Woah, woah! Vin, calm the fuck down! Yer shakin' all over!" His attempts to calm his lover down did nothing. "What's this about?"

"It's Sephiroth! He is sane and telling us to take Cloud back immediately. Telling me he's in great danger! We must hurry!"

"Tellin' you? How?"

"Through my mind!"

Cid blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. "Are you sure? You mighta been dreamin'. How would he-"

"Cid, please. Right now I need you to believe me more than ever and trust that I know what I am doing! There is no time to explain!"

Cid's face turned grim, but he nodded. "Okay. Where to?"

"The North Crater!"

Ohboyohboyohboyspaceisexcitednowherecomestheactionherecomestheexcitementwhateverhappenspleaseohpleasedonthateme

Sephiroth stood and stretched, extending a hand to invite Cloud to do the same. The blonde tried to get up but fell the moment he made it to his feet. "Oh wow, my legs are like jelly. You know, I thought that was a myth but that's exactly what it's like. So how much time do we have left?" He asked, managing to successfully stand without collapsing.

"I hope that there is still enough." Sephiroth muttered.

Cloud had heard him. "Me too, I don't really like the idea of going back in your head. We'll find a way though, trust me."

Sephiroth just gave him a tight smile and held him for a moment. "Use your shirt to clean yourself up; you may wear my coat in its place. I am beginning to think it looks better on you."

The blonde laughed and shook his head. "That's not possible, but I'll accept your offer, I'm getting cold again." Once dressed and with the buster sword in place, he interlocked his fingers with Sephiroth's and the two began walking towards the exit.

"Damn... I forgot my sword." He glared at the disbelieving look he was getting from the blonde. "Am I not allowed to be absent minded on occasion? Keep going, I move faster than you; I will catch up." When Cloud started off, Sephiroth felt his stomach clench. "Wait." The younger turned. "How were you able to fight your hate?"

Cloud's eyebrows raised but he answered truthfully. "Some friends helped me out, but they wouldn't have been able to if it was actually directed at you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm totally capable of hatred, but I don't think I ever really hated you. It's more that I feared you."

"And your friends helped you conquer this fear?" Time was running out.

"Not really."

"Then what did?"

"You."

"How?" The General was becoming frustrated.

"Because I love you."

The fight seemed to drain out of the silver haired man, but he did his best to keep it out of his face. The voice ahead was still fairly happy, though it was becoming slightly uncertain. "Can I go now?"

Sephiroth walked forwards a few steps, feeling the waves of insanity beginning to creep up his spine. He fought them off and pulled Cloud into a soft kiss, much like their first one. He tried to convey everything he felt through that one bit of contact before pulling away and smiling. "Now you can go. I love you too."

Cloud beamed; his face heating up to a dull pink. "I'll see you soon." He started walking away then, and it was all the General could do not to reach out and beg him not to go. Instead he whispered "I hope not..." and summoned his sword.

He wished he hadn't seen the look on Cloud's face as he cut through a layer of the overhanging rock, blocking Sephiroth's way out and putting a barrier between the two of them, wished he hadn't seen the fear, the confusion the betrayal. But then everything was splendid and he was wondering why he had locked his pretty little pet out.

'No,' he thought, pushing down that delicious insanity where nothing was wrong, 'Not this time.' He heard Cloud pounding his fists bloody against the rocks. He had to hurry. Soon the boy would think to use his sword.

He tilted the point to his chest. "I have opened your cage little bird; now fly to your freedom.... and let me have mine." With inhuman strength, he gripped the blade plunged the sword through his heart, and knew no more.

Cloud didn't have to see Sephiroth to know that he was dead. He felt the severing of the connection between their minds and screamed, trying to physically drag it back with his hands. He couldn't believe it; he wouldn't, it hadn't happened. Sephiroth was just waiting behind those rocks for cloud to come and get him, he hadn't made them fall, why would he? He wouldn't. He wasn't dead.

He swung the buster sword off of his back and began to slash at the rocks, turning them to dust in his need to get through. As soon as there was a hole big enough, he forced his way through and ran to the limp figure of his former captor. "Seph?! Seph, don't worry; I'll get you to help! Just hold on!" He grabbed the hilt of the Masamune, feeling a wave of fiery pain rocket up his arms. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered someone telling him that only Sephiroth could wield the Masamune. He jerked it out of the quickly cooling body, angry burning streaks starting up his skin. He dropped it and picked up the silver haired man. "Shit, you're really cold... you said that you could deal with the cold you dumbass." Cloud spoke in a wavering voice, holding the body close, burying his face into that soft hair. "Let's go get help..." And with slow, shambling steps, he began carrying The Great Sephiroth outside.

"Huh... Would you look at that; it's snowing again."

Spacethinksthatshemightactuallybecryingbutfeelsthatitismostlikelyjustthemusicsheslisteningtorighnowmovietrailerthemesareawesome

"Did he say where?" Tifa pressed, looking out the window through the thick snowfall. The blizzard had started about three hours before and so far neither the Turks, nor the landing crew had found anything.

"No, I apologise." Vincent looked downcast. "He was not clear as to where they would be, and chances are that they have moved since then. Still, in this weather they could not have gotten very far."

"I know." The woman gave him an attempted smile and touched his shoulder briefly before turning her attention once more out the window.

The walkie talkie crackled to life, making them both jump. "This is search party number two. We've found something, but you might not like it."

Tifa grabbed the walkie talkie and spoke into it, barely managing to keep her voice level. "Is it him?"

"Well, it sure looks like him, but he's got-"

"THEN BRING HIM ABOARD!" She yelled, probably terrifying whatever poor volunteer from the air ship it was into considering a new line of work. She then spoke normally into the machine. "This is Tifa calling from the airship, all landing parties please report in."

"Landing party one, reporting in. Nothing of interest."

"Landing party three, reporting in. Same story Tifa."

"Landing party four, reporting in. One wounded, monster attack. No fatalities."

She tried to hide the impatience in her voice. "Come on back guys, I think we've found him."

"What about us?" Came an indignant voice on the other end.

"Oh," she paused, smiling a little into the walkie talkie, "Turks can come back too Reno."

The machinery went silent and she rubbed a hand down her face. "I should have gone down there with them. I'm no good to anyone up here."

Vincent put a comforting hand on her shoulder, looking into her brown eyes with his red ones. "You are the best healer we have. By the sounds of it, they will need your services. If one of the parties had found Cloud injured and you were down there with another, you would be unable to help him."

"I know. But I feel like I'm going to burst from all this anxiety!"

The door burst open, and Landing Party Two came in with an unconscious Cloud wrapped protectively around a cold, dead Sephiroth. The blonde would spasm every so often and upon checking his pulse, Tifa found that it was very faint. Something else she noticed, but refused to comment on was the fact that he was wearing Sephiroth's jacket.

"Get him to the bed in the office, and get that murderer away from him; he's just making him colder!"

"Miss, we've tried, he just won't let go."

Tifa closed her eyes and tightened her jaw. "That's fine then. Just keep him warm until I get there." Okay, so he was almost dead and had a loving death grip on the man who killed Aerith. She could deal with that. The important part was that he was alive, and she intended to keep him that way. She opened her eyes again. "Vincent, can you greet the rest of the landing parties?"

His response was immediate. "Of course. Go."

That was all the confirmation she needed and she tore down the hall after the men without a glance back. 'Damnit Cloud, please hold on!'

ThefollowingsceneisactuallywhatstartedthewholefanfictionfromadreamIhadandIamhappytosaythatwearealmostattheend

When Cloud woke up, he was in a warm place. Grass tickled his cheek and his eyes snapped open. As he sat up, he saw that he was sitting in a green field covered in the yellow and white flowers that Aerith used to plant. Oddly enough, he did not feel a sense of panic at this discovery, only one of acceptance. What he didn't like was that he was no longer holding Sephiroth's corpse, for he knew now that the General was dead. He had killed himself to save everyone; including Cloud. This didn't seem to bother him either.

He walked through the field, breathing in the sweet scent of the flowers until he caught sight of two figures on the hill ahead. He made his way up, and smiled as he saw Aerith and Sephiroth speaking quietly. "Hey guys!" When the two turned to him, Cloud could feel his heart swelling with an inexplicable sense of joy. Sephiroth looked more at peace than cloud could ever remember seeing him, and Aerith's serene beauty was no longer halved by intangibility.

The General stood and beamed at him, opening his arms wide, but when Cloud attempted to go to him Aerith held up a hand to stop him. "You shouldn't be here, not yet. If you touch us, this," she spread her arms and spun once "all of this will become permanent. You'll have to stay"

Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly and he dropped his arms. Impatience flared in Cloud before it was lost again in the tranquility that emanated from the place. "But I want to stay. The people I love are here."

"There are still people you love out there. What about Tifa, Barret and the others?"

Tifa. The word sounded like pain, but he knew he owed her something. "I want to stay here... But I would like to say goodbye."

"Cloud," this time it was Sephiroth who spoke, "when I ended my life, it was so that you and the others could live happily, without the threat of my existence. I cannot force you to do anything, and even in this paradise, all I can see is that it lacks you, but I will still be here when it is your time to come. I will be waiting with an outstretched hand."

Cloud could see that it hurt Sephiroth to say this, and he did not want Sephiroth to hurt more than he had already. It seemed wrong.

"Wow, you guys are mean!" Interjected a familiar voice from behind him. Turning to face Zack and seeing how vibrant he'd become made him forget the pressure to leave this place. "Let the poor guy decide on his own!"

"Is it always like this?" Cloud asked, refraining from hugging his friend, though he longed to do so.

"It is whatever you want it to be. This is the Lifestream!" Zack laughed. "Say your goodbyes first; then see if you want to stay."

"Zack!" Aerith sounded angry, and Zack flinched, but in a playful way.

"Face it Aerith, a guy's gotta do what he feels is right."

Cloud had stopped listening, and was staring into Sephiroth's too green eyes; even as the scene started to fade they were the last things to go before he was staring at himself on a bed with Tifa watching him.

"Tifa?"

The woman jumped, looking around but seeing nothing. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. She was in no danger of dying; she could not see him. "Cloud?" she called out, touching her shoulders where he held her. "Are you there?"

"Not for much longer. What happened to Sephiroth's body?"

"We buried it. We could barely make you let go before it started to smell. That was a week ago." She was still looking around uncertainly.

"Tifa, after this, you may never hear from me again, so I need you to do some stuff for me okay?"

She seemed to barely choke back a sob. "Why?!" she cried out, "You're right here, why do you have to go!?"

"Oh Tifa..." He held her tighter, sending her all the feeling of compassion and love he could manage. "This is something I need to do. It's not like you'll never see me again. Before you do though I need you to make me a few promises."

She nodded violently, tears now flowing freely down her face.

"Learn to forgive. Live with the passion that you always have, 'cause life is beautiful. Just look at that sunset!" She turned her face to the window and watched the warm red and yellow glow as it poured into the room. "Marlene needs a Mom while Barret's away all the time, and no one will ever be as good a bartender as you are. And you know, you don't have to do that stuff; you can travel! But find what's important to you and go through with it." Cloud looked beside him and saw Sephiroth smiling gently. "Lastly, love will always find you in the strangest of places; don't be afraid to embrace it."

He kissed her on the cheek and watched her hand fly up to the place in shock. "Live, Tifa. I'll see you when the time comes."

"Are you leaving because of him?" She asked softly, as though afraid of the answer.

"Yes," he admitted, "I love him very deeply. There is really no rhyme or reason for it, I just do."

"I loved you." She whispered, and Cloud felt a lump in his throat.

"I know. I will always love you too. You've been with me since childhood, I'd have to or you'd've knocked my brains out by now."

She burst out laughing through her tears, her body soon shaking with both sobs and mirth.

Cloud was looking at Sephiroth again, waiting patiently. The blonde knew he'd wait forever if he had to. "I have to go now, you won't forget what I said?"

She shook her head. "Never." She managed in a strangled whisper.

"Pass my message along to the rest of them too, and smile! There's enough sadness in the world as is." A slender, masculine hand stretched out to him. "I loved you all, never forget that. Goodbye Tifa." He reached out his own hand, interlocked his fingers with Sephiroth's, and was gone.

She stayed there for a while, shaking with silent sobs until Yuffie came in to relieve her. "He's gone Kiddo." Was all she could say before giving the ninja girl a watery smile and pulling her into a tight embrace.

When she left for the bridge later, Yuffie ran after her with something clutched in her hands. "You dropped this!" she called, handing over a slightly crushed flower. Tifa fingered its yellow petals and smiled.

"Okay guys, let's go home."

Spacesaysthatthisisthelastonesheswearsitcrosherheartandhopetodie

Somewhere far beyond space and time, in a field covered with yellow and white flowers, four people stand on a hill, hands held, watching the world as they once knew it, or maybe watching nothing at all. And they smile.

End Little Bird.

Epilogue

It was a gorgeous sunny day on the airship. A man leaned over the railing with a full cigarette pack beside him, untouched. He watched the people disembarking, hugging and going their separate ways.

"I believe that that is everyone." Vincent said from the doorway. "After Tifa left it was only a matter of time before they all decided to go home, especially after that speech of hers."

"Yeah," the blonde man on the railing agreed, still watching the people. "That was some pretty heavy stuff she said, but it sure as hell touched a lot of people. Cloud would be proud."

The red eyed man walked over to join him, smiling beneath the collar of his coat when an arm encircled him. "I am certain that he is proud somewhere." He rested his head on Cid's shoulder and breathed in the man's musky scent.

"So what next on the agenda for you?" Asked the pilot in an attempt to be subtle.

"Well," Vincent put a finger to his lips as he thought. "I would like to go and thank Lucrecia for all of her guidance, and I would certainly like to visit Cloud and Sephiroth's graves, but after that I don't know where to go. I have no home to speak of unless I wish to return to the coffin in the basement of the ShinRa Manor."

"Well that leaves you with only one choice then by the sounds of it." Said Cid gruffly.

Vincent looked at the pilot from underneath his lashes, unable to keep the smile from his voice. "And what choice might that be?"

"You're really gonna make me say it out loud?"

"Not if you don't wish to."

Cid threw his arms in the air in mock exasperation. "Well what choice do I got?" More seriously, he turned Vincent so that he was staring the man in the eyes. "Vincent Valentine, will you stay with me and put up with my grumpy ass?"

The dark haired man's eyes seemed to dance. "Only if you agree to put up with my unstable semi-homicidal tendencies."

"You fuckin' know I will."

"Then I suppose I shall have to stay by your side forever. I fear that you are saddled with me for life, or as long as you wish to be."

Cid pressed a kiss on Vincent's lips and held him close. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The two began to walk back inside, but Vincent paused for a moment. "I am sad that our friend's journey came to an end so early. I wish that there was something I could have done to prevent it, but I am glad that through this, you and I have started on a journey of our own."

The pilot smiled at his lover and ushered him back inside with an arm around the waist. As he followed him in, he turned to look at the sky one last time and could have sworn he felt a warm wind brush over his cheek.

This is it guys, the end of the line. Thanks so much to everyone who stayed with me until the end! Let's hear it for not waiting seven months to update this time, hurray! That being said, I'm pretty sure my butt's gone flat and I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome because I wrote over half of this today. I have never been so inspired to finish something! I chose the name Little Bird because it reminded me of the saying: "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back it's yours etc,etc." The image I always got in my head was a small but strong willed bird stuck in a cage by someone that thought they needed it (though probably not to the extent Sephiroth did). I actually really like this chapter and that terrifies me! It means that there is probably something horribly wrong with it.

Okay, enough dawdling, a final shout out to all of those who reviewed!

Superwitch: Ack! Not my floors! Hope you liked this chapter, even though it is that last.

Wintersheart1766: Lengthy things flatten my tush and mess up my spinal alignment, but yes, as you say, they are pretty darn good. Hope you like it.

yaoi-midnight-mistress: Your reviews seem to have a tendency to make me bake more than I ought to, thanks!

MizuYousei: The characters are great, always have been. The problem lies solely with me. Hurray for sooner updates!

Deathcas: D'aww, thanks. I worry that I made Yuffie too serious for this chapter, but it just seemed to feel right.

Kags21: Thank you! Hope you approved of the ending.

demonlifehealer: In tears? Really? I know I shouldn't be as thrilled about that as I am, but the fact that I brought that emotion out of you feels good. Darn good.

MikiMuo: Thanks! I try to stay as close to what I perceive the characters to be as possible.

Micro chibi baka-san: Hope this was soon enough, at least it wasn't seven months this time!

luminousSpark: I personally love Sephiroth as a character and I like to get down and fish through his gooey mind bits to come up with stuff.

Thank you so much everyone! It's because of you guys (and Mooky) that I was able to write this story, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I love you guys and give you internet cake-yes, with yaoi frosting, out of affection. Farewell until we meet again, thanks for reading, enjoying, and reviewing, and always live your life with passion; no matter what you do.


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